Turkish football in chaos as 17 referees arrested in betting scandal
Seventeen referees arrested amid betting scandal as Turkish football faces ‘crisis’
- Turkish prosecutors have ordered the detention of 21 individuals, including 17 referees and a Super Lig club president, as part of an investigation into alleged football match betting and fixing.
- Eighteen of the 21 suspects have been detained so far, with charges including abuse of duty and manipulating match results.
- The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) previously suspended 149 referees and assistant referees after its own probe found officials in professional leagues were betting on matches.
- TFF President Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu described the situation as a “moral crisis in Turkish football”, noting that 371 of 571 active referees had betting accounts, with 152 actively gambling.
- The TFF's investigation revealed one referee placed 18,227 bets, and 42 others bet on more than 1,000 football matches each.