Turkey is strengthening its fight against illegal gambling, with the country’s national lottery, Milli Piyango İdaresi (MPİ), now fully on board.Recently, MPI submitted...
Turkish Football Federation reveals referree beting scandal
Turkey’s Football Federation (TFF) has announced disciplinary action after discovering that hundreds of referees and match officials had betting accounts.
During a press conference on October 27, TFF president Ibrahim Ethem Haciosmanoglu revealed that 371 out of 571 officials had opened betting accounts. Moreover, 152 officials caught the attention with extra activity. While some only placed one bet, 42 officials bet on more than 1,000 matches. Moreover, one of the officials placed more than 18,000 bets.
Haciosmanoglu stated:
“If we want to bring Turkish football to the place it deserves, we have to clean up whatever dirt there is.”
Major clubs quickly reacted. Besiktas said the findings could mark “a new beginning for clean football.” Trabzonspor called it “an historic opportunity to rebuild justice.”
Fenerbahce president Sadettin Saran commented:
“This is both shocking and deeply saddening for Turkish football. But the fact that it is coming to light is a hopeful development.”
Under TFF, FIFA, and UEFA rules, referees, just like players and coaches, are banned from gambling. In case of violations, they could face suspension for up to a year, while FIFA’s Code of Ethics allows for a fine of 100,000 Swiss francs (£94,000) and a three-year ban from all football-related activities.
Turkey has suspended nearly 150 football referees and assistant referees amid an investigation into alleged match betting.The first investigation found that...
