Almost Two-Thirds of Turkey’s Referees Bet on Football—Who’s Watching the Watchers?

Systemic Scandal Rocks Turkish Football

Football refereeing is a heated topic anywhere, but in Turkey it’s on an entirely different scale. The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) revealed on Monday that hundreds of match officials—including referees and assistants—have been involved in betting on football. The announcement has sent shockwaves across Turkish football.

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TFF president Ibrahim Hacıosmanoğlu said, “Out of 571 active referees in the professional league, 371 were confirmed to have accounts with one or more of six betting companies.” Of those, 152 were found to have actively bet on matches, including seven top-tier referees and 15 assistants. Hacıosmanoğlu added, “Ten referees executed over 10,000 bets, with one referee placing over 18,277 bets. Forty-two referees individually placed over 1,000 bets. Some referees bet only once.”

This extraordinary scale of betting covers a five-year period dating back to 2020, though most bets were reportedly on overseas leagues.

Investigations and Potential Sanctions

The scandal is being taken seriously by both the TFF and Turkish authorities. Hacıosmanoğlu said, “Starting from today, our disciplinary committee will take the necessary actions. We are determined to clean our football from any shadow of corruption. There will be no exceptions.”

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed it has been investigating officials regarding potential match-fixing since April 2025. A parallel probe in Antalya has since been merged into the Istanbul case. While no official has yet been publicly disciplined, TFF deputy president Mecnun Otyakmaz confirmed that the referees’ identities will be disclosed in due course and that punishments could include suspensions of three months to a year. Criminal charges are also possible if officials profited from influencing matches.

Mourinho’s Warnings Vindicated

The scandal has cast past complaints by José Mourinho, who briefly managed Fenerbahçe, in a new light. During his tenure, Mourinho repeatedly criticised Turkish referees and described the Süper Lig as “toxic.” He famously said after the Istanbul Derby, “The referee was excellent. After the match, I went to the referees’ dressing room. The fourth official was, of course, a Turkish referee. I told him that if he had been the main referee, it would have been a disaster.”

Now, clubs and experts say Mourinho’s concerns about bias and integrity appear well-founded.

Club Reactions: Shock and Demands for Transparency

Top Turkish clubs have reacted strongly. Galatasaray called the revelations a “critical blow to the fundamental values of Turkish football” and de manded full disclosure of referees’ betting accounts and matches. Fenerbahçe’s president Sadettin Saran said, “This is proof we were right all along.”

Trabzonspor praised the investigation as a “historic opportunity for the reconstruction of justice in Turkish football,” while Beşiktaş demanded the immediate release of all implicated referees’ names and betting records.

Fans also took to social media, with hashtags like #HakemBahisSkandalı trending as millions demanded reforms.

The Path Forward

Referees are banned from betting under FIFA and UEFA rules, with Article 27 of the FIFA Code of Ethics allowing fines of at least 100,000 Swiss francs (approximately S$162,434) and bans up to three years. Hacıosmanoğlu has already assured UEFA and FIFA of TFF’s cooperation.

“We will do our best to resolve the chaos in Turkish football. Club managers must investigate all teams and players. I will start with myself. We have shared this information with UEFA,” Hacıosmanoğlu said.

As the TFF moves to punish officials and restore public trust, the coming weeks could define the future of Turkish football.

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@metrosportuk

Referees in Turkey have been secretly betting on football matches A shocking five-year investigation has revealed that out of 571 officials, 371 had betting accounts and 152 were actively gambling.One referee placed over 18,000 bets and 42 more officials betting on more than 1,000 matches each. The Turkish Football Federation’s president confirmed that the scandal involves seven referees and 15 assistants from the country’s top two divisions, as well as dozens more in lower leagues. Disciplinary action has yet to be decided but Referees found to have placed bets could face a fine of £94,246 and a ban of up to three years. #footballnews #superlig #turkishfootball #footballreferee #referee

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