149 Turkish officials suspended in betting probe

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has suspended 149 referees and adjunct referees aft an investigation recovered hundreds of master lucifer officials successful nan state had betting accounts.

Bans ranging from 8 to 12 months, based connected nan "severity of nan act", person been imposed for engagement successful betting activity, pinch investigations into 3 different officials still ongoing.

The afloat database of nan penalised officials was published connected nan TFF website.

On Monday, it was revealed a five-year probe had recovered 371 of 571 lucifer officials person betting accounts, pinch 152 of those actively gambling.

While immoderate had only stake once, 42 had stake connected much than 1,000 shot matches - pinch 1 charismatic recovered to person placed 18,227 bets.

Like players and coaches, lucifer officials are forbidden from participating successful betting activities by TFF disciplinary regulations, arsenic good arsenic those of world governing assemblage Fifa and European governing assemblage Uefa.

"There is simply a civilized situation successful Turkish football. There is nary specified point arsenic structure. The basal problem astatine nan halfway of Turkish shot is an ethical one," TFF president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu told CNN connected Friday.

"Ask immoderate referee, if location is moreover 1 who has not received his pay, I will resign arsenic federation president. In fact, we improved their salaries past year, and again this year."

No further specifications of nan cases aliases ongoing investigations were provided.

After nan investigation's findings were announced connected Monday, a number of Turkey's apical clubs responded.

Besiktas said it "could people a caller opening for cleanable football" while Trabzonspor called nan improvement "an historical opportunity to rebuild justness successful Turkish football".

Fenerbahce president Sadettin Saran added: "This is some shocking and profoundly saddening for Turkish football.

"But nan truth that it is coming to ray is simply a hopeful development."