TFF: 152 out of 571 referees officiating in professional leagues found to have engaged in betting

President Hacıosmanoğlu on Monday held a press conference at the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) Hasan Doğan National Teams Camp and Training Facilities located in Riva.

İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu stated that they have initiated a new era in Turkish football, saying: "If we fight together with the entire football community, we can carry football into a clean future. Our Republic Day is approaching, and I congratulate the noble Turkish Nation on this occasion. Our Great Leader Atatürk once said, 'I love the athlete who is intelligent, agile, and also moral.' There is no statement implying that those who are not so are immoral, but we must all be moral in every aspect."

Emphasizing that they are discussing the extent of corruption and immorality in Turkish football due to betting, Hacıosmanoğlu continued: "As a federation, we began by cleaning our own house. As a result of our work, we started with the referee community — both the pride and the problematic part of football. Based on data obtained from state institutions and the work of professional experts, it has been revealed that among the 571 active referees officiating in professional leagues, 371 have betting accounts. Of these, 152 referees were found to have actively engaged in betting.

This includes 7 top-level referees, 15 top-level assistant referees, 36 classified referees, and 94 classified assistant referees. Among them, 10 referees placed more than 10,000 bets; one referee alone placed 18,227 bets; and 42 referees each bet on more than 1,000 football matches. Some referees were found to have placed bets only once.

Starting today, our disciplinary board will initiate the necessary procedures. They will be referred to the board soon, and the appropriate penalties will be imposed in accordance with our regulations. Under Law No. 6222, there is a five-year time frame — the figures I mentioned fall within that period."

"WE MUST CLEAN UP WHATEVER FILTH THERE IS"

Underscoring that they must fight with all elements to elevate Turkish football to its rightful place, Hacıosmanoğlu said: "Since the day we were elected, my fellow board members and I have never cared about staying in our seats by getting along with people. To bring Turkish football to the level it deserves, we must clean up whatever filth there is.

I call on our distinguished clubs: we started with referees. My colleagues and I, including myself, are being checked by the relevant state institutions as part of this work. We will share those results as well.

Our efforts regarding other members of the Turkish football family also continue. Just as we, as the TFF, are cleaning our own doorstep, club presidents should begin with themselves, then move on to their boards, players, and share their findings with the public. Otherwise, we will continue our work with the respected state institutions and make the results public."

"WE FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT BRIGHTER DAYS AWAIT US"

President Hacıosmanoğlu stated that they have shared the findings with FIFA and UEFA, and added: "There is one issue that saddens us — the fact that referees opened accounts in their own names and engaged in betting has deeply upset us. With the philosophy of 'those who remain are ours,' we will accelerate this process with our authorized boards and train new referees through the courses we have established, giving them comprehensive education before integrating them into Turkish refereeing.

We know this process is challenging, but we will work to leave behind good and moral generations for our youth. I kindly ask club presidents and executives to support us. We firmly believe that brighter days await us, and with their support, we will bring Turkish football back to the place it truly belongs."