Turkish Football Association will discipline referees after discovering massive betting

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) will take disciplinary action against referees who bet on football matches after discovering that hundreds of them had gambling accounts, its president said on Monday.

TFF president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu said a federation survey – based on data from state institutions – found that 371 of the 571 active referees in Turkey’s professional leagues had gambling accounts, and 152 of them were actively gambling.

“As a federation, we have started cleaning up our own backyard,” Haciosmanoglu told a news conference in Istanbul.

“Among those found to have gambling accounts were seven top-level referees, 15 top-level assistants, 36 classified referees and 94 classified assistants.”

READ ALSO | El Clasico: Bellingham ‘better than expected’ says Madrid’s Alonso after win over Barcelona

He said some referees had placed a staggering number of bets, with one referee betting 18,227 times and 42 referees betting on more than 1,000 football matches each. Others appeared to have placed a bet only once.

Haciosmanoglu said the federation’s disciplinary board would take immediate action.

“They will be referred to the disciplinary board and face the necessary penalties in accordance with our regulations,” he said, adding that the findings cover a period of five years under Turkish sports law.

Under Article 57 of the TFF Disciplinary Code, those found guilty of betting on football matches may be banned from practicing refereeing or football-related activities for between three months and one year.

Published on October 27, 2025