Turkish football faces its biggest integrity crisis in over a decade after the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) revealed Monday that 371 of 571 active referees held betting accounts, with 152 actively gambling on matches.
TFF President İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu disclosed at a press conference in Istanbul that internal audits uncovered widespread violations, with one referee placing 18,227 bets and 42 officials wagering on over 1,000 matches each.
The five year investigation, conducted with financial regulators and licensed betting platforms, revealed that seven referees and 15 assistant referees from Turkey’s top two divisions were implicated, along with 36 classified referees and 94 assistants from lower tiers.
Hacıosmanoğlu stated the findings represent a turning point for Turkish football. “We are determined to clean our football from any shadow of corruption,” he said during the announcement at the TFF Riva Hasan Doğan National Teams Camp and Training Facilities.
Simply holding a betting account constitutes a direct violation of FIFA and UEFA rules prohibiting referees from any gambling activity. The TFF has begun disciplinary proceedings under Law No. 6222, which covers sports integrity offences and carries penalties of one to three years imprisonment for match manipulation.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office accepted Hacıosmanoğlu’s statement as a formal denunciation and will expand its ongoing investigation launched in April. The TFF has shared results with FIFA and UEFA, which may conduct parallel investigations to ensure compliance with international standards.
The scandal has triggered outrage across Turkish football, with major clubs demanding transparency. Fenerbahçe called for immediate publication of implicated referees’ names, while Galatasaray President Dursun Aydın Özbek described the revelations as a serious blow to sporting ethics. Trabzonspor, Hacıosmanoğlu’s former club, praised the investigation as a historic step toward clean football.
Turkish football has long faced accusations of referee bias and match fixing. The 2011 match fixing scandal involved over 90 individuals and resulted in European competition bans for Beşiktaş and Fenerbahçe. Earlier this year, FIFA listed referee Yaşar Kemal Uğurlu resigned after being linked to casino gambling in Northern Cyprus.
Hacıosmanoğlu, 59, elected TFF president in July 2024 by a slim margin, rose to power vowing to purge corruption and rebuild public trust. His presidency has included enhanced Video Assistant Referee (VAR) transparency and random referee assignments.
The TFF confirmed officials face potential suspensions, permanent bans, or criminal referrals. Most bets were reportedly placed on foreign league matches, but the federation did not specify whether any referees bet on games they officiated.
Source: newsghana.com.gh
