Hundreds of Turkish football referees, including those from the country's Super League, are involved in sports betting. This was stated by the President of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) Ibrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, UNN reports with reference to Daily Sabah.
Details
It is noted that the TFF, in cooperation with financial regulators and based on data from licensed betting platforms, conducted an internal investigation, the result of which revealed the passion of Turkish referees for playing the tote.
Internal audits revealed that 371 of Turkey's 571 active referees in professional leagues have registered betting accounts, and that 152 of them actively placed bets, sometimes with volumes reaching tens of thousands of transactions
He added that the TFF "is determined to cleanse our football of any shadow of corruption, there will be no exceptions.
According to the publication, sanctions may include suspensions, permanent bans, or criminal proceedings in accordance with FIFA and UEFA's zero-tolerance policy on gambling among match officials.
Context
Last year, former Fenerbahçe coach Jose Mourinho accused Turkish referees of "systemic favoritism." The Portuguese specialist even managed to ensure that for the first time in the history of the Turkish championship, the match between Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray was officiated by a foreign referee.