Turkish Soccer Rocked After 149 Referees Suspended in Betting Scandal

• Massive referee betting scandal shakes Turkish football integrity
• TFF suspends 149 referees after five-year investigation
• Fans demand voided results amid deepening corruption concerns

Turkish soccer fans are calling for the results of certain games to be annulled after the news that soccer’s governing body has suspended 149 referees for actively betting on matches.

A five-year Turkish Football Federation (TFF) investigation found that of 571 professional match officials, 371 held betting accounts, and 152 were regular gamblers. Three remain under investigation.

It’s against TFF rules, as well as those of FIFA and UEFA, for anyone involved in the sport to gamble – especially referees — given the integrity risks it poses.

Rogue Refs

None of the officials has been accused of manipulating games, although some bet on matches they were refereeing, according to the TFF.  If match-fixing is proven, perpetrators would face prison sentences ranging from 1.5 to 4.5 years, plus lifetime bans from the sport.

The rogue refs, including seven from the top echelon of Turkish soccer (Süper Lig), received bans ranging from eight to 12 months, based on the “severity of the act,” according to the TFF. The organization found that 42 had bet on more than 1,000 soccer games, while one had placed 18,227 bets.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched a criminal investigation in April, which is ongoing, and is believed to include not only referees but also clubs and players from all leagues.

The TFF said it plans to tighten oversight by introducing a system to monitor referees’ financial activities and to impose lifetime bans on anyone found betting on sporting events.

Games Won’t Be Annulled

Speaking to German state broadcaster DW, Turkish sports lawyer Mert Yaşar said that it wasn’t possible to go back and replay games on which bets were placed or to retroactively annul the results, as some fans are demanding on social media.

New referees will be appointed for this season,” Yaşar said. “Previous seasons cannot be affected. Since they are registered, the results will not change.”

Sadettin Saran, president of Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe, described the situation as “both shocking and deeply saddening for Turkish football,” adding that its emergence into the open was nonetheless “a hopeful development.”