🇹🇷 65% Football Referees in Turkeye Found With Betting Account Companies, While 25% Actively Place Bets — 7even Super Lig Referees Under Investigation
A crisis of confidence in officiating
In late October 2025, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) publicly disclosed the results of an internal investigation that have sent shockwaves through Turkish football. According to the federation’s president İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, of the 571 active referees in professional Turkish leagues, 371 (about 65 %) were found to hold accounts with betting companies, and 152 (roughly 25 %) had actively placed bets on football matches.
Within that group, the numbers are staggering: some referees had placed thousands of bets. For example, one official reportedly placed 18,227 wagers over a five-year span, and 42 referees bet on over 1,000 matches each.
What compounds the severity of the problem is that among the 152 actively betting referees were seven who officiate in the top professional tier, the Süper Lig, plus 15 top-tier assistant referees.
In short: a major portion of Turkey’s refereeing population has some form of involvement with gambling, and a significant subset appear to have placed bets — a direct challenge to the integrity of officiating.
—
Why this matters: betting, officials and integrity
The raw numbers alone tell a troubling story, but understanding why this is so damaging requires unpacking the role of referees, the rules around betting, and the ripple-effects on public trust and sport governance.
Referees and impartiality
Referees are meant to be the guarantors of fairness in football: enforcing rules, making split-second judgments, and remaining neutral arbiters of competition. The mere existence of betting accounts among officials raises questions of impartiality: can a referee who holds a stake, potential or actual, in betting markets be fully objective?
Betting rules for officials
According to international norms (via FIFA and UEFA), referees and match officials are strictly prohibited not only from betting on matches they oversee, but in many cases from holding betting accounts at all, due to the risk of conflict of interest or manipulation. For example, the possession of a betting account—even without evidence of placing bets—can be a breach of integrity rules.
In Türkiye, the TFF’s disciplinary code (Article 57) stipulates that officials found to have participated in betting could face bans ranging from three months to one year from officiating or football-related activity.
Separately the judicial investigation (see below) suggests criminal and regulatory exposure under Turkish laws governing sports integrity and betting.
Trust, perception and the integrity of competition
Even if there is no proof at this stage that referees bet on matches they officiated, the perception alone is destructive. Fans, clubs, sponsors and the broader public expect the refereeing system to be beyond reproach. When 65 % of referees have accounts with betting companies, and 25 % have placed bets, the system’s credibility is deeply weakened.
In Turkish football the issue is particularly sensitive given past controversies. For example, match-fixing scandals have previously plagued the league; the 2011 “şike” scandal remains a dark chapter in the history of the Süper Lig. This new betting angle on referees rekindles long-standing concerns about fairness, bias and the independence of officiating in Türkiye.
—
The investigation and what comes next
Scope and findings
According to Hacıosmanoğlu, the investigation covered a five-year span and combined data from state institutions, betting platforms, and sports governance records.
The breakdown of implicated officials includes:
7 main referees in the Süper Lig;
15 top-tier assistants;
36 referees of lower classification;
94 assistant referees of lower classification.
In the harshest cases: ten referees placed over 10,000 bets each; as noted one figure reached 18,227 bets.
Legal and disciplinary consequences
The TFF has already referred the 152 referees who actively placed bets to its Professional Football Disciplinary Board (PFDK) for sanctions under its code.
On the legal side, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that an active criminal investigation into betting by referees was launched in April 2025, and is now deepening. Among the applicable laws cited are Law 6222 on the Prevention of Violence and Disorder in Sports, Law 7405 on Sports Clubs and Sports Federations, and Law 7258 on Regulation of Betting and Gambling in Football and Other Sports Competitions.
What this means in practice
Many of the implicated referees face suspension from officiating, or possibly permanent bans if violations are deemed severe enough.
The risk of criminal charges (or at least regulatory penalties) for betting-related offences means this is not just a sports governance issue but also a legal one.
The TFF has publicly declared this a systemic problem and committed to “cleaning up” the game.
—
Root causes — why did this happen?
Several underlying factors help explain how so many referees ended up with betting accounts or placing bets — and why the problem may have grown so large.
A culture of weak oversight
The sheer scale of the numbers (371 of 571 referees) suggests that monitoring of referees’ financial and off-field activities was either lax or ineffective. If more than 60 % held betting accounts, oversight systems or culture of compliance were clearly inadequate.
Complexity of referees’ appointments and incentives
Referees in football often operate under pressure: high-stakes matches, scrutiny of every decision, sometimes unstable working conditions. The possible lure of betting — whether for profit or just entertainment — may have been stronger in environments where oversight is less stringent.
The normalization of betting in society
In Türkiye, sports betting is legal under a state-run system. While referees are explicitly barred from participating, the social and cultural normalization of sports gambling may have made the prohibition less effective in practice. Indeed, some referees reportedly claimed they opened accounts not to place bets but “to follow statistics or news” — a defence the TFF said was unfounded.
Legacy problems with integrity
Turkish football has struggled historically with issues of match-fixing, bias, and refereeing controversies. The system may have lacked a sufficiently strong culture of integrity, meaning the step from betting account to active wagering among officials may have been easier than it should have been.
—
Implications for Turkish football and beyond
Domestic implications
Credibility loss: Fans, clubs and sponsors will question refereeing decisions in matches, especially historically controversial ones. The shadow of suspicion may persist even after sanctions are served.
Operational disruption: The removal or suspension of referees will strain refereeing resources, especially in the Süper Lig and lower divisions. Referee assignments, training, and promotion systems may need overhaul.
Need for reform: The TFF may have to introduce stricter vetting, monitoring of referees, financial disclosure obligations, and performance audits. It may consider independent oversight bodies or external monitoring.
Legal precedents: This scandal could lead to criminal prosecutions, setting precedent in sports integrity law in Türkiye and influencing how refereeing governance is handled in the country.
Wider significance
International football governance: The case underscores how even referees — traditionally seen as “above” the game’s financial machinations — can be involved in betting, forcing governing bodies such as FIFA and UEFA to re-examine referee integrity systems.
Integrity in sports globally: Sports around the world face similar pressures: the convergence of high financial stakes, betting markets, and the challenge of ensuring neutrality of officials. This scandal offers a stark reminder of the risks.
Media and public perception: The scandal boosts cynicism among fans and commentators about truth in sport. In Türkiye, where scepticism of refereeing (and bias claims between big clubs) is well-established, this moment may deepen distrust.
—
What needs to happen now
Given the magnitude of the findings, a multi-pronged response is essential if Turkish football is to restore credibility.
1. Transparency and full disclosure
The TFF should publish (within privacy and legal constraints) names of referees sanctioned, the nature of their infractions, and the rationale for disciplinary decisions. Open communication helps rebuild trust.
2. Re-vamping referee oversight
Implementing independent monitoring, regular audits of referees’ financial activities, and mandatory disclosure of any betting-related accounts. Establishing “whistle-blower” channels inside refereeing bodies may also help.
3. Education and culture change
Referees, assistant referees and all officiating staff need formal training on ethics, betting laws, conflict of interest, and the severe reputational risk of involvement—even minimal—in gambling.
4. Legal and regulatory enforcement
Prosecutorial offices must follow through on the investigations to hold accountable any referees who engaged in serious misconduct (especially betting on matches they officiated). Sports integrity law must be seen to carry real consequences.
5. Restoring trust in match officiating
Scheduling reforms, ensuring referees are rotated properly, maybe even bringing in more foreign referees temporarily to reset system credibility. Clubs and fans will demand visible proof of change.
—
Conclusion
The recently disclosed scandal — in which approximately 65 % of professional referees in Turkey held betting accounts and about 25 % actively placed bets, including among top-tier officials — is a deeply worrying event for Turkish football. It touches the heart of sport: fairness, integrity, trust.
It is heartening that the TFF has acknowledged the problem publicly, launched disciplinary and legal procedures, and spoken of reform. Yet the real work lies ahead: changing systems, culture, transparency and behaviour so that referees are beyond reproach.
For Turkish football, failure to act decisively could mean long-term damage to its domestic competition, fan engagement, and international reputation. For global sport, the episode serves as a reminder: no official is immune to the risks posed by betting markets — and vigilance is essential.
In the words of Hacıosmanoğlu: “As a federation, we started by cleaning our own backyard.” But cleaning the yard is one thing — keeping it consistently clean is another.
Leave a Reply