Hundreds of Turkish referees found to place bets, says football federation head

Hundreds of referees officiating in professional leagues have been involved in betting activities, Turkish Football Federation (TFF) President İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu has revealed in what he described as a sign of “corruption” in Turkish football.

Speaking at a press conference on Oct. 27, Hacıosmanoğlu said that an internal investigation, supported by data from state institutions, found that 371 of 571 active referees had betting accounts, while 152 were actively placing bets.

“Among them are seven top-tier referees, 15 assistant referees in the same category, 36 lower-division referees and 64 assistant referees,” he said.

According to the findings, 10 referees placed more than 10,000 bets each, with one individual wagering 18,227 times.

A total of 42 referees were found to have bet on over 1,000 football matches, while some made only a single wager.

Hacıosmanoğlu noted that the disciplinary board would immediately begin proceedings in line with federation regulations. He said the federation had also shared its findings with FIFA and UEFA, signaling that the clean-up process would continue in cooperation with international football bodies.

The president said the federation’s review began by examining not only referees but also the TFF administration itself.

“We started with the referees, including myself and my board members,” he said, calling on clubs to follow the federation’s example.

“Just as we are cleaning our own doorstep, club presidents should start with themselves, their boards and their players and share the results transparently with the public,” he said. “If not, we will continue working with the relevant state bodies and release our findings regardless.”

While sports betting is legal in Türkiye under only one state-run system, referees, players and officials are prohibited from betting on any matches. Turkish football has previously faced allegations of match-fixing and illegal betting rings, particularly in lower leagues.