Turkish soccer has been rocked by a betting scandal. Numerous referees have come under scrutiny for illegal sports betting. Now the TFF association is taking rigorous action and suspending 149 referees.
“Being a referee is an honorable profession,” said association president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu on Friday, announcing that even more drastic measures are being considered. The TFF president said that people who have “tarnished this honor” will “never again be part of Turkish soccer.” On Friday, 149 referees were suspended for eight to twelve months by the disciplinary committee. Three other referees are still under investigation. The association announced the suspensions but did not mention whether those punished had also placed bets on games they themselves had officiated. It therefore remains unclear whether any matches were possibly fixed. When the scandal came to light, Haciosmanoglu announced that he would take rigorous action. “We are determined to rid soccer of any trace of corruption. We will make no exceptions,” said the 59-year-old—and he has the law on his side, as referees in the Turkish leagues are generally prohibited from betting.
Prosecutors investigate
And yet, a comprehensive investigation of a total of 571 referees revealed that 371 of them had betting accounts—152 of whom had actively used them. The fact that 22 of the officials were employed in Turkey’s top division, the SüperLig—seven main referees and 15 assistants—showed that this was not purely a problem in the lower leagues. Ten of the accused referees had placed more than 10,000 bets, one of them 18,227 times, and 42 referees had each placed bets on more than 1,000 soccer matches. Most of the matches on which bets were placed were therefore games in foreign leagues. The outrage in Turkey is enormous, with top clubs Besiktas, Galatasaray, and Fenerbahce demanding a full investigation.
This is likely to extend beyond the association, as the Istanbul public prosecutor’s office is already investigating the case.
Public prosecutor’s office investigates
Nevertheless, a comprehensive investigation of a total of 571 referees revealed that 371 of them had betting accounts—152 of whom had actively used them. The fact that 22 of the officials were employed in Turkey’s top division, the SüperLig—seven main referees and 15 assistants—showed that this was not purely a problem in the lower leagues. Ten of the accused referees had placed more than 10,000 bets, one of them 18,227 times, and 42 referees had each placed bets on more than 1,000 soccer matches. Most of the matches on which bets were placed were therefore games in foreign leagues. The outrage in Turkey is enormous, with top clubs Besiktas, Galatasaray, and Fenerbahce demanding a full investigation.
This is likely to extend beyond the association, as the Istanbul public prosecutor’s office is already investigating the case.