Turkish football has been shaken by revelations that hundreds of referees have been caught betting on matches. Out of 571 active referees, 371 were found to hold accounts with betting firms, and 152 had placed wagers directly on football games, according to insideworldfootball.com.
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) disclosed the findings at a press conference in Riva, led by its president, İbrahim Ethem Hacıosmanoğlu. He described the discovery as a “turning point for Turkish football,” pledging to clean up corruption within the sport.
“This is the start of a new era,” Hacıosmanoğlu declared. “We have worked with police and authorities for months to uncover this. We will clean up Turkish football and restore integrity to the game.”
The TFF confirmed that disciplinary proceedings will begin immediately, with the investigation results shared publicly and reported to FIFA and UEFA.
According to the TFF’s data, those involved included seven Super League referees, 15 assistant referees, 36 lower-division referees, and 94 assistant referees. While most bets were placed on foreign leagues, officials did not confirm whether any referees bet on matches they officiated.
Disturbingly, 10 referees reportedly placed bets on more than 10,000 matches, with one individual betting on 18,227 games.
Hacıosmanoğlu also urged clubs to investigate their own staff and players. He revealed that both he and the TFF board are under review by state institutions.
The TFF plans to expand referee education and ethics training across all 81 provinces, including a new integrity programme at Yeditepe University, in a bid to rebuild public trust.
