Turkish federation: 371 referees had betting accounts; 152 wagered

Istanbul — The Turkish Football Federation said on Monday that a five year investigation found hundreds of match officials held betting accounts and that it will begin disciplinary proceedings against those who placed bets on football. Federation president İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu told a news conference that investigators identified 371 of 571 active referees in the country’s professional leagues with accounts at betting companies and that 152 of those officials had placed wagers on football matches.

Hacıosmanoğlu gave a breakdown of the officials involved, saying the figures include seven referees and 15 assistant referees who operate in the top two divisions, with the remainder drawn from lower tiers. He said 42 officials had bet on more than 1,000 matches each over the five year period and that one individual placed 18,227 wagers. Hacıosmanoğlu told reporters that 10 referees had wagered on more than 10,000 matches, and he said the federation would move immediately to refer implicated officials to its disciplinary board. As a federation, we started by cleaning up our own backyard, he said.

Under the TFF disciplinary code, referees found guilty of betting on football matches can...