Turkish football authorities have found 152 referees gambling and have initiated disciplinary action after manager Jose Mourinho repeatedly lashed out at the dire conditions of refereeing during his tenure at Fenerbahce. The Special One has been an outspoken critic of refereeing standards, previously declaring that he would have rejected the position had he known in advance, but now the country’s governing body has uncovered serious issues following a years-long investigation.
A five-year investigation revealed that 371 of the 571 employees working across the country had gambling accounts. Of these, 152 were engaged in gambling. While some people placed bets alone, 42 others placed bets on more than 1,000 matches.
In the most shocking incident, one of the umpires was revealed to have gambled 18,227 times. Seven of the officials belong to the Turkish Super Lig and the second division.
The top two tiers also include 15 assistant referees from the investigation team.
Mourinho’s fury over his “battle against the system” proved prophetic following an investigation that left many referees in harm’s way.
However, there is no evidence that matches involving Mourinho’s Fenerbahce were influenced by referee betting.
He previously said: “We are not fighting against the other team, we are fighting against the system. And fighting against the system is the most difficult thing. I had heard these stories before coming to Turkey, but honestly I didn’t believe them. But when I actually came here, it was much more serious than I had heard.”
“I am unhappy with the Fenerbahce people who brought me here. They told half the truth and hid the rest. If I had known everything, I would not have come.”
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) is poised to impose sanctions after starting disciplinary proceedings.
Their rulebook states that officials who place bets can be suspended for up to a year.
However, FIFA’s rules are even stricter and the referees involved could face a three-year football-wide ban and a fine of nearly £95,000.
TFF president Etem Hasiosmanoglu declared: “If we want to elevate Turkish football to the place it deserves, we must clean up all the dirt that is there.”
Fenerbahce president Sadettin Saran added: “This is shocking and very sad for Turkish football, but the fact that this fact has come to light is a hopeful development.”
