About 371 Turkish referees are allegedly involved in betting
A five-year investigation has uncovered that approximately 371 out of 571 match officials in Turkey possess betting accounts and are involved in gambling.
According to the BBC, the probe revealed that 42 referees had placed bets on more than 1,000 football matches, with one official found to have placed 18,227 bets.
Turkey’s Football Federation has vowed to investigate the report thoroughly and bring perpetrators to justice if found guilty of the allegations.
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Speaking at a media conference in Istanbul, the President of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), Ibrahim Ethem Haciosmanoğlu, disclosed that the list included seven referees and 15 assistant referees from Turkey’s top two divisions, as well as 36 “classified” referees and 94 assistants from the lower tier.
“If we want to bring Turkish football to the place it deserves, we have to clean up whatever dirt there is,” the president said.
He added that the officials responsible will be referred to the disciplinary board and “face the necessary penalties.”
According to TFF regulations, players and match officials are barred from participating in betting activities as part of their disciplinary code.
Referees found guilty of the charges could face up to a one-year ban, while Article 27 of the FIFA Code of Ethics states that such officials “could face a fine of 100,000 Swiss francs (£94,246) and a ban of up to three years from all football-related activities.”
SB/JE
Meanwhile, watch the latest Sports Check interview with Alex Kotey, the GFA Referees Manager below:
