Hundreds of referees in professional leagues in Turkey are involved in sports betting, according to information publicly revealed by the president of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, in what represents a scandal and evidence of “corruption” in Turkish football, as Hacıosmanoğlu himself lamented, and which puts the spotlight back on the behaviour of referees.
During a press appearance on Monday, reported by numerous media, the federation president revealed the results of an internal investigation which shows, supported by data from state institutions, that 371 of the 571 active referees have accounts with bookmakers, and that 152 regularly place bets. “Among them are 7 first division Turkish referees, 15 first division assistant referees, 36 lower division referees and 64 assistant referees”.
The results of the investigation also show that 10 referees placed more than 10,000 bets each, with one referee alone placing 18,227 bets. In total, 42 referees placed bets on more than 1,000 football matches, while others placed only a single bet.
Hacıosmanoğlu indicated that the TFF disciplinary committee will immediately initiate the procedures set out in the federation’s regulations, and further informed that the results of the investigation have already been shared with FIFA and UEFA as part of a vetting process that will continue in cooperation with the international bodies.
Football federation calls on clubs to expose corruption
The president of the Turkish Football Federation also stressed that the clean-up of football must start at all levels: “We have started with the referees, myself and my board members,” he said, calling on clubs to follow the federation’s example.
“Just as we have cleaned our own door, club presidents should start with themselves, their boards and their players, and share the results transparently with the public,” he added. “If they fail to do so, we will continue to work with the relevant state institutions, and we will make our findings public as well, anyway.”
In Turkey, sports betting is legal only through a state-run gambling system, but referees, players and officials are banned from betting on any match. Turkish football has faced allegations of match-fixing and involvement in illegal betting networks in the past, particularly in the lower divisions, although the allegations also affected major top-flight clubs.
Following the revelations, several major clubs have expressed deep concern about this new scandal threatening the credibility of Turkish football, and have demanded that the TFF “transparently and publicly disclose the names of referees with active betting accounts, the matches they bet on and the types of bets placed,” Beşiktaş said in a statement.
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Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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