Manager Jose Mourinho has often been outspoken about the current state of refereeing in Turkey, and senior Turkish officials have exposed serious problems with 152 referees found to be gambling.
Turkish football leaders have begun disciplinary proceedings after 152 referees were found to have gambled after Jose Mourinho made a number of abusive comments about refereeing practices during his time in charge of Fenerbahce.
The Special One has been a vocal critic of officiating standards, previously claiming he would have refused the job if he had known beforehand, but now, years later, the country’s authorities have revealed serious problems.
A five-year investigation found that 371 of the 571 officials operating in the country had gambling accounts. Of those, 152 were active gamblers. Some had only placed one bet, while 42 others had bets on more than 1,000 games.
The worst example showed that one umpire made 18,227 bets. Seven of those involved play in Türkiye’s Super Lig and second division leagues. The top two divisions will also include 15 assistant referees from the survey.
Complaints about Mourinho’s “battling the system” have come to an end following an investigation that tarnished the reputation of many referees. There is no evidence to suggest that games involving Mourinho’s Fenerbahce were influenced by betting by referees.
read more: Cristiano Ronaldo’s encouragement fails as Al Nasr’s disappointing record continuesread more: Reds star reveals everything inside Liverpool’s dressing room after the crushing defeat against Brentford
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. “When I came here, it was much more serious than I had heard. Before I came to Turkey, I had heard these stories, but I honestly 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 preparing to take action after starting disciplinary proceedings. Their rulebook states that officials who place bets will be suspended for up to one year. However, FIFA’s rules go even further, with the referees involved potentially facing a three-year ban and a fine of nearly £95,000 across football.
“If we want to take Turkish football to the place it deserves, we have to clean up all the dirt that is there,” TFF president Etem Hasiosmanoglu said.
“This is shocking and very sad for Turkish football, but the facts that have come to light are a hopeful development,” said Fenerbahce president Sadettin Saran.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports Premier League and EFL package discounts
£49
£35
sky
Get the deal here
Sky has reduced the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 on their bill and offering more than 1,400 live matches from Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will broadcast at least 215 live Premier League matches next season, with an increase of up to 100 more.
