Turkey's troubled football federation has handed down severe punishments to 149 referees and assistants who have been found to be betting on matches, with officials ranging from eight to twelve months' suspension.
A probe spanning five years uncovered that 371 of 571 professional match officials in Turkey had betting accounts - an astonishing 65% of the total workforce involved in refereeing matches. Of those, 152 were actively betting, with some having made large sums on multiple games.
While this lack of discipline raises serious concerns over the fairness and integrity of Turkish football, the issue goes beyond mere regulation, as TFF president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu has noted - "There is a moral crisis in Turkish football. There is no such thing as structure."
A probe spanning five years uncovered that 371 of 571 professional match officials in Turkey had betting accounts - an astonishing 65% of the total workforce involved in refereeing matches. Of those, 152 were actively betting, with some having made large sums on multiple games.
While this lack of discipline raises serious concerns over the fairness and integrity of Turkish football, the issue goes beyond mere regulation, as TFF president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu has noted - "There is a moral crisis in Turkish football. There is no such thing as structure."