Turkey's football federation has named more than 150 referees suspected of betting on matches, in a scandal that has shaken the fiery world of the Turkish game.
In a statement, the federation said that 152 referees were being examined by its disciplinary board. Their names were made public, and among them are top-tier officials allowed to take matches in Turkey's top division.
Under Turkish law, if referees are found to be betting in a way that influences the outcome of a match, they could be sentenced to up to three years in prison. The football federation's internal disciplinary procedures allow for a suspension of three months to one year.
The office of Istanbul’s chief public prosecutor said it was also opening an investigation with the football federation, Istanbul police, and Turkish financial crimes detectives, to “identify acts” that would constitute an offence under the country's penal code, state news agency Anadolu reported.
Football authorities have been under pressure to publicly identify scores of match officials allegedly involved in betting on matches. On Monday, federation president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu said internal investigations had found that 371 of 571 active referees working in Turkey’s professional leagues held accounts with one or more of six betting companies.
Holding an account in itself is not a misdemeanour and some appear to have done so to be able to watch matches, he said. But 152 of 371 betting account holders had allegedly placed bets on football matches, including seven top-flight referees.
One referee placed bets on 18,227 matches, and 42 officials had placed bets on more than 1,000 games each, Mr Haciosmanoglu said.
“Despite clear instructions, we are saddened by the fact that referees are opening accounts and placing bets in their own names,” he said. He said the federation would improve referee training and also called on clubs to carry out investigations to ensure that Turkish football is “clean and ethical”.
“The responsibility of the football community is to investigate the esteemed presidents of our distinguished clubs, starting with them, then their boards of directors, and all their components, including the players, and then share them with the public,” he said.
The scandal is made all the more sensitive because of tight restrictions on betting and gambling in Turkey. The practice is heavily regulated and most sports betting is channelled through a state-owned company, Iddaa, although illegal online betting persists.
Emotions often run high in Turkish football, with chants including lines such as “may my life be sacrificed for you”. Clubs and their supporters frequently accuse referees and officials of bias against them.
In 2023, Faruk Koca, then-president of Turkish club Ankaragucu, was arrested for punching a referee in the face at the end of a match. He later resigned and was given a lifetime ban. Last year, former Fenerbahce manager José Mourinho complained about refereeing standards in Turkey and said that he would not have taken the job if he had known how bad the situation was. He and Fenerbahce parted ways in August this year.
