Turkish FA Suspects 149 Referees Amid Football Betting Investigation Involving Hundreds

‎The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has suspended 149 referees and assistant referees after uncovering alleged involvement in football betting.

‎Following an internal investigation, the disciplinary board handed out bans ranging from eight to twelve months.

‎Three additional officials remain under investigation as part of the ongoing probe.

‎The TFF published the full list of names on its website and said penalties were determined by considering the “severity of the act.” No additional details of the ongoing investigations or the cases were provided.

‎TFF President, Ibrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, stated that the federation’s investigation, using data from state institutions, found that 371 of 571 active referees in Turkey’s professional leagues held betting accounts, and 152 of them were actively gambling.

‎”There is a moral crisis in Turkish football. There is no such thing as structure. The fundamental problem at the core of Turkish football is an ethical one,” Haciosmanoglu told CNN on Friday.

‎”Ask any referee, if there is even one who has not received his pay, I will resign as federation president. In fact, we improved their salaries last year, and again this year.”

‎Haciosmanoglu said that some referees had placed a staggering number of bets, with one referee betting 18,227 times.

‎He added that 42 referees had bets on more than 1,000 football matches each, while others were found to have placed bets only once.