Story by Lawrence Trusida, Sports Editor
TURKEY’S football federation has announced disciplinary proceedings after a five-year investigation revealed that hundreds of professional match officials hold betting accounts, raising serious questions about integrity in the Super Lig.
The investigation found that 371 of 571 match officials maintain betting accounts, with 152 actively placing bets. Alarmingly, 42 officials were found to have wagered on over 1 000 football matches, including one official who reportedly placed 18 227 bets.
Turkish Football Federation president, Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu, said an investigation into 571 referees showed that “371 have betting accounts and 152 actively bet”.
He confirmed that 22 of the 371 referees including seven match referees and 15 assistants officiate at national level.
Turkish footballing giants, Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and Besiktas –released a statement urging the federation to name and shame the referees.
Questions around impartiality are not new in Turkey prompting the football federation to use foreign officials to operate the Video Assistant Referee system in the Super Lig.
In February, a foreign referee was handed the whistle for the high-profile Istanbul derby between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce. UEFA and FIFA rules prohibit referees from betting.
