A press conference was held at the TFF Hasan Doğan National Teams Training and Education Facilities in Riva.
Hacıosmanoğlu revealed that 371 of the 571 referees working in professional leagues had betting accounts, and 152 of them were actively placing bets. Hacıosmanoğlu stated,
“It has been determined that 10 referees placed bets exceeding 10,000, 42 referees placed bets exceeding 1,000 each, one referee placed bets exceeding 18,000 alone, and some referees placed single bets.”
A press conference was held at the TFF Hasan Doğan National Teams Training and Education Facilities in Riva.
Hacıosmanoğlu revealed that 371 of the 571 referees working in professional leagues had betting accounts, and 152 of them were actively placing bets. Hacıosmanoğlu stated,
“It has been determined that 10 referees placed bets exceeding 10,000, 42 referees placed bets exceeding 1,000 each, one referee placed bets exceeding 18,000 alone, and some referees placed single bets.
Hacıosmanoğlu’s statements are as follows:
“Today will be a turning point for Turkish football. The Great Leader Atatürk said, “I like the intelligent, agile and moral sportsman,” but he never said that those who are not like this are immoral. We must be moral in all aspects.
We have been working with state institutions for months. We have systematically identified the reasons behind the corruption in Turkish football from those who have managed our clubs for years and the veterans of the sport. There is a proverb that says, “Once the gun came out, chivalry was lost.” We have discussed the extent of corruption and immorality in Turkish football for years since betting was introduced, a topic that has been raised for years.”
We at the TFF started from our own backyard. Today, I will share with you some data we have uncovered as a result of our ethical work on Turkish football, which is in need of change. We started with our referee colleagues for a clean and ethical Turkish football. It has been determined that out of 571 active referees in professional leagues, 371 have betting accounts and 152 actively place bets. Seven top-tier referees, 15 top-tier assistant referees, 36 referees, 94 assistant referees… Among these, it was found that 10 referees placed over 10,000 bets, 42 referees placed over 1,000 bets each, one referee placed over 18,000 bets alone, and some referees placed one-off bets.
A press conference was held at the TFF Hasan Doğan National Teams Training and Education Facilities in Riva.
Hacıosmanoğlu revealed that 371 of the 571 referees working in professional leagues had betting accounts, and 152 of them were actively placing bets. Hacıosmanoğlu stated,
“It has been determined that 10 referees placed bets exceeding 10,000, 42 referees placed bets exceeding 1,000 each, one referee placed bets exceeding 18,000 alone, and some referees placed single bets.
Hacıosmanoğlu’s statements are as follows:
’Today will be a turning point for Turkish football. The Great Leader Atatürk said, “I like the intelligent, agile and moral sportsman,” but he never said that those who are not like this are immoral. We must be moral in all aspects.
We have been working with state institutions for months. We have systematically identified the reasons behind the corruption in Turkish football from those who have managed our clubs for years and the veterans of the sport. There is a proverb that says, “Once the gun came out, chivalry was lost.” We have discussed the extent of corruption and immorality in Turkish football for years since betting was introduced, a topic that has been raised for years.”
We at the TFF started from our own backyard. Today, I will share with you some data we have uncovered as a result of our ethical work on Turkish football, which is in need of change. We started with our referee colleagues for a clean and ethical Turkish football. It has been determined that out of 571 active referees in professional leagues, 371 have betting accounts and 152 actively place bets. Seven top-tier referees, 15 top-tier assistant referees, 36 referees, 94 assistant referees… Among these, it was found that 10 referees placed over 10,000 bets, 42 referees placed over 1,000 bets each, one referee placed over 18,000 bets alone, and some referees placed one-off bets.
‘NECESSARY PROCEEDINGS HAVE BEEN INITIATED’
Our Disciplinary Committee will initiate the necessary proceedings starting today and will refer the cases to the disciplinary board shortly, which will impose the necessary penalties in accordance with the instructions. According to Law No. 6222, there is a 5-year limitation period. Our instructions also have a 5-year statute of limitations. The figures I mentioned fall within this 5-year period.
We will clean up whatever filth there is to bring Turkish football to where it deserves to be. I call on our clubs. We started with the referees, but my colleagues on the board and I are also checking ourselves with the relevant state institutions involved in this work. We will share the results of this soon. Our work regarding the Turkish football family is also ongoing. Just as we, as the TFF, are cleaning up our own front yard, our esteemed clubs also need to check themselves in all aspects. The duty that falls on the Turkish football family is to start with themselves, check all elements, including the players, and share the results. Otherwise, we will carry out our work with our state institutions and share the results.
‘WE SHARED IT WITH FIFA AND UEFA’
We shared these efforts with FIFA and UEFA. We already had initiatives to train referees based on the philosophy that ‘the survivors are ours,’ but we will open courses in 81 provinces and recruit our young people to become referees. We want our young referee friends who are being trained to support them in terms of human errors. I believe we will bring the Turkish football we long for to the place it deserves to be. A question has been requested. There is no question to be asked, no answer to be given. This is enough for the public. We will focus on this issue meticulously. We are waiting for everyone’s support.”
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled TFF Başkanı açıkladı: Hakemler bahis oynuyor, published in BirGün newspaper on October 27, 2025.
