149 referees were suspended by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) on Friday after being accused of betting on matches.
The TFF stated in a statement that three other referees’ investigations are ongoing, with the TFF stating that their disciplinary committee had issued suspensions ranging from eight to twelve months.
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The federation’s investigation into 571 Turkish professional league referees revealed on Monday that 152 of them had active betting accounts and 371 of them had sports betting accounts.
According to TFF President Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu, “refereeing is a profession of honor.”
Anyone who violates that honor will never play football again, Haciosmanoglu added.
The TFF announced on Monday that 22 of the officials (seven match officials and 15 assistants) are employed by the highest league.
Ten of the TFF’s referees placed more than 10,000 bets, with one of them alone placing 18,227.
The head of Turkish football said on Friday that 42 referees had staked in more than 1, 000 football games.
He did not specify whether any of them were suspected of betting on matches they had officiated, though.
The Istanbul public prosecutor’s office has also begun an investigation.
Source: Channels TV
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