Betting Scandal Shakes Turkish Football: 570 Referees Implicated

A major scandal is rocking Turkish football after it was revealed that hundreds of referees, including those active at the national level, placed bets on football matches in Turkey, according to the head of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) on Monday, who vowed immediate action.

Internal Investigation Findings

• Scale of the Scandal: TFF President İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu disclosed during a press statement on Monday that an internal investigation covering 571 referees showed that:

  • 371 of them held betting accounts.

  • 152 were actively placing bets.

• Shocking Statistics:

  • Ten involved referees made over 10,000 bets.

  • One referee alone made 18,000 betting transactions.

  • 42 referees bet on more than 1,000 matches each.

• National Level: Hacıosmanoğlu indicated that 22 referees among the 371 involved (7 main referees and 15 assistant referees) are active at the national level. Their identities were not disclosed, nor was it confirmed whether any are suspected of betting on matches they officiated.

Promises of Purge and Sanctions

The TFF President promised: "We are determined to cleanse football of all traces of corruption. We will not spare anyone," noting that "the necessary sanctions" will be taken "starting today," Monday.

Background to the Turkish Refereeing Crisis

This scandal surfaces amid repeated accusations of bias directed at Turkish referees. Due to these concerns, the TFF had already mandated that foreign referees oversee the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system in a number of "Süper Lig" matches in the spring of 2024. A foreign referee also officiated the heated Istanbul derby between Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe last February.