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Turkey’s Football Federation Moves to Discipline Referees After Probe Finds Widespread Betting

A five-year review using state data uncovered widespread referee gambling, prompting immediate disciplinary referrals.

Overview

  • Federation data show 371 of 571 active professional referees held betting accounts, with 152 actively gambling.
  • Those flagged include seven top-level referees, 15 top-level assistants, 36 classified referees, and 94 classified assistants.
  • Investigators reported extreme activity, including one referee with 18,227 bets and 42 who wagered on more than 1,000 matches each over five years.
  • Betting by match officials is banned under TFF, UEFA and FIFA rules, with TFF penalties of three months to one year and potential FIFA fines and multi-year bans.
  • The TFF has referred cases to its disciplinary board, shared findings with FIFA and UEFA, and urged clubs to conduct their own reviews as broader checks continue.