The Turkish Football Federation revealed 371 referees have betting accounts, prompting President İbrahim Ethem Hacıosmanoğlu to launch a major anti-corruption campaign to “clean up” the sport.
The Turkish Football Federation confirm 371 of 571 officials have betting accounts, with 152 actively gambling. One official placed 18,227 bets.
Seven referees and 15 assistants come from Turkey’s top two divisions.
And over 1,000 games have been gambled on.
The president of… pic.twitter.com/7bJQSgTGUh
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) October 27, 2025
October 27 – Turkish football has been rocked by news that out of a total of 571 active referees in the professional leagues, 371 have accounts with one or more of six different betting companies, with 152 of the referees having bet directly on football matches.
The announcement was made earlier today at a Turkish Football Federation (TFF) press conference at the TFF Riva Hasan Doğan National Teams Camp and Training Facilities.
TFF president İbrahim Ethem Hacıosmanoğlu (pictured) said that “Turkish football needs change”, and that a process of “cleaning up” corruption is starting.
Hacıosmanoğlu said that the TFF Disciplinary Committee will immediately initiate disciplinary action.
“This is a turning point for Turkish football. We have been working with the police and people from the authorities for months to establish the level of corruption. I promise that we will clean up Turkish football and bring it to the level it deserves. The clubs must also investigate themselves, including the players,” said Haciosmanoglu.
The TFF said the data was a result of months of investigations involving the federation, state authorities and professional clubs. The announcement was attended by key TFF officials, including deputy chairman Mecnun Otyakmaz and Fuat Göktaş, members of the board of directors.
The data broke down the categories of match officials who have bet on football as follows:
– Super League Referee: 7
– Super League Assistant Referee: 15
– Lower divisions Referee: 36
– Lower divisions Assistant Referee: 94