The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) have found hundreds of referees to be involved in widespread sports betting activity.
The TFF President Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu said on Monday that internal audits have revealed that 371 of 571 active referees in Turkey have registered betting accounts.
Of these referees, seven qualified to officiate in the Super Lig, the country’s top division. More than 150 were found to be actively gambling.
“As a federation, we started by cleaning up our own backyard,” Haciosmanoglu said (per the Guardian).
“Among those found to have betting accounts were seven top-level referees, 15 top-level assistants, 36 classified referees, and 94 classified assistants.”
The TFF’s investigation reportedly cross-checked the identities of the referees with national betting databases.
Hasciosmanoglu said that 42 referees had placed bets on more than 1,000 games each, while one had wagered a staggering 18,227 times. Others were found to have placed bets only once.
Sports betting is legal in Turkey, but it is strictly prohibited for referees under both FIFA and UEFA codes. Even registering a betting account for an official constitutes a breach of integrity.
Penalties could include suspension, permanent bans or criminal referrals under FIFA and UEFA’s rules on betting among match officials.
Hasciosmanoglu confirmed the federation’s disciplinary board would start taking action against the referees immediately.
“They will be referred to the disciplinary board and face the necessary penalties in accordance with our regulations,” he added.
The TFF’s revelations echo the country’s infamous 2011 match-fixing scandal when more than 90 individuals, including club executives, coaches and referees, faced charges of manipulating results.
