The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has announced the launch of disciplinary proceedings against referees who bet on football matches, after an internal investigation revealed that hundreds of them have active accounts on betting platforms. The news was confirmed by TFF president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu at a press conference held in Istanbul.
According to him, an investigation conducted in cooperation with state institutions showed that out of 571 active referees in professional leagues, as many as 371 have registered accounts for betting, while 152 of them actively participated in bets.
– We decided to first bring order to our own ranks – said Haciosmanoglu.
– Among the judges with active accounts there are also seven arbitrators from the highest rank, 15 of their assistants, 36 classified judges and 94 assistants – he emphasized.
Although some judges, as stated by Haciosmanoglu, placed only one bet each, others participated in betting frequently and for a long time. The report states that one judge recorded as many as 18,227 payments over a five-year period, while 42 judges had more than 1,000 bets.
The TFF Disciplinary Commission will immediately begin processing cases.
– All those involved will be sent to the disciplinary committee and will face the punishments prescribed by the regulations – the president of the federation emphasized.
Under Article 57 of the TFF’s disciplinary code, those found guilty of betting can be suspended for three months to a year, barred from any football-related functions – including refereeing, administration and match organisation.
Haciosmanoglu pointed out that the findings are the result of a five-year analysis and that the federation will continue to cooperate with state authorities in order to prevent any unethical behavior in football.
– Our goal is to restore the trust of the public and the players. There is no place in football for those who threaten the integrity of the game. This is just the beginning of cleaning the system – he said.
The betting scandal between referees has caused a storm of reaction in the Turkish sports public and has reopened the issue of the need for greater transparency and stricter oversight within the national football system.
(Vijesti.ba)
