Featured Image Credit: Gettyt
Topics: Turkey, Turkish Super Lig, Football, Jose Mourinho
Ryan Smart
The Turkish Football Federation have announced that they are investigating a total of 371 referees after finding that they all held gambling accounts.
TFF president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu confirmed that out of those 371 referees, who are all active within the Turkish domestic pyramid, 152 were actively gambling.
Seven referees involved in the scandal are 'upper-class' officials, meaning that they are eligible to officiate matches in the Turkish Super Lig.
According to Haciosmanoglu (via Ajansspor), one of the referees placed a staggering 18,227 bets, while 42 of the referees each placed bets on over 1,000 football matches.
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He added that the alleged offences took place over a five-year time period, with each official involved now set to be subjected to disciplinary proceedings.
The maximum punishment for violating the TFF's regulations on gambling is a one-year ban from all football-related activities.
In his full statement on the scandal, Haciosmanoglu confirmed that he wanted to 'clean up the filth' within Turkish football officiating.
The 59-year-old, who has a background in oil and construction, was the president of Turkish Super Lig giants Trabzonspor between 2013 and 2015.
He was elected as president of the TFF in June 2024, and is in the midst of serving a four-year term before the next set of elections in 2028.
His opening 18 months at the helm have seen Haciosmanoglu focus heavily on the standards of officiating in Turkish football.
Earlier in the summer, he responded to criticism of Turkish football referees - including by the now former Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho - by stating that officials would be 'excluded from the competition' if they made significant mistakes from this season onwards.
He has also warned that he and his officials have begun to investigate Turkish football beyond the officials.
On the betting scandal, Haciosmanoglu stated: "371 of the 571 referees working in professional leagues have betting accounts.
"Let's not look down on those who bet; they can also subscribe to watch matches, but of these 371 referees with betting accounts, 152 are actively betting, with seven upper-class referees, 15 upper-class assistant referees, 36 lower-class referees, and 94 lower-class assistant referees.
"We, along with our disciplinary committee, have begun the necessary procedures as of today. They will refer the matter to the disciplinary committee shortly and impose the necessary penalties according to our instructions.
"According to Law No. 6222, there is a five-year limitation. There is also a five-year statute of limitations. Within the five-year period we base our judgment on, the numbers I've listed represent the arbitrators who fall within that period.
"We have no interest in getting along with people and staying in our positions. It is our duty to clean up any filth within Turkish football.
"I am calling on our distinguished clubs. We started with the referees, but my board members and I, along with the relevant government institutions, are also conducting our own research.
"We will share the results of this soon. Our work with the Turkish football community is also ongoing.
"Just as we, the TFF, are cleaning our own doors, it is incumbent within the Turkish football community to monitor and share the results, starting with themselves and including their players. Otherwise, we will conduct our work with our distinguished state institutions and share the results."
SPORTbible have contacted the Turkish Referees' Association for comment.