Turkish Football in Crisis as 149 referees banned for betting
In a sweeping crackdown, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has suspended 149 referees and assistant referees for violating strict anti-betting regulations. The bans, ranging from eight to twelve months, follow a five-year investigation that uncovered a widespread ethical breach.
The probe revealed a startling reality: 371 of the 571 match officials investigated held betting accounts, with 152 actively gambling.
The scale of betting was immense, with one official having placed over 18,000 bets.
While some had bet only once, 42 officials had wagered on more than 1,000 football matches.
The scandal has rocked Turkish football, with TFF President Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu calling it a “moral crisis” at the sport’s core.
 He defended the referees’ salaries, stating they had been improved recently, suggesting the issue was not financial desperation but an ethical failure.
The suspensions have been met with a mix of shock and cautious optimism by top clubs. While Fenerbahce’s president described the findings as “shocking and deeply saddening,” rivals Besiktas and Trabzonspor framed it as a historic opportunity to cleanse the game and rebuild justice, hoping the scandal could mark a new beginning for Turkish football.
