ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – The Turkish Football Federation is investigating more than 150 professional league referees for allegedly betting on matches.
The government agency determined that 371 of the 571 active referees have at least one account with a gambling company, federation president Ibrahim Hajusmanoğlu said at a press conference on Monday.
Hajuosmanoğlu said 152 referees with accounts placed bets on football, including seven top-level referees and 15 top-level assistants.
Hadjuosmanoğlu added 10 umpires who bet on more than 10,000 games over a five-year period, with just one umpire betting on 18,227 games, while some umpires only placed one bet.
“We know that changes are needed in Turkish football,” Hajusmanoğlu said. “Our duty is to elevate Turkish football to its rightful status and cleanse it of all filth.”
He said the federation’s disciplinary committee would address the matter immediately.
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