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2025 Turkish referee betting scandal

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The Turkish referee betting scandal is an ongoing integrity crisis in Turkish professional football that began 27 October 2025 in which the Turkish Football Federation uncovered extensive illegal sports gambling by licensed referees.

The scandal implicates hundreds of referees for violations of FIFA and UEFA integrity codes, prohibiting referees in any capacity from gambling, including simply holding betting accounts. Turkish Football Federation President İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu called the evidence "a milestone for Turkish football," and pledged to stamp out corruption and regain integrity in the sport.[1][2]

Background

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In early 2025, Turkish football faced mounting tensions. In February, FIFA-listed referee Yaşar Kemal Uğurlu resigned after being linked to gambling in a casino located in Northern Cyprus.[3] In September, several referees filed criminal complaints against the TFF, alleging mobbing, unfair match assignments, and pressure to favor certain clubs, prompting judicial investigations. These events led the TFF to initiate a nationwide audit of referees' financial activities, focusing on potential betting violations.[4]

In April 2025, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office initiated an investigation into betting taking some referees into account. As a result of this investigation, and after complaints were made by some referees, the Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation into the Central Referees Committee (MHK). Then, the case was moved to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office because of lack of jurisdiction. After that, the two investigations were combined and proceeded as one case.[5][6][7]

According to Article 11 of Turkey’s Law No. 6222 on Preventing Violence and Disorder in Sports (2011, amended 2017), the person responsible for the manipulation of the sporting event’s result will be sentenced to 1 to 3 years of imprisonment and a penalty of up to 20,000 judicial days. The law treats offenses like match-fixing, bribery, and others that interfere with fair play and it aims at the same time referees, players, and the rest of the sports system. Penalties may increase to 5-12 years imprisonment under Article 11/3 if organized crime is involved.[8]

According to the Turkish Football Disciplinary Regulations (FDT), penalties exceeding 45 days imposed on referees may result in the initiation of licence revocation proceedings.

Timeline

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As claimed by Türkiye newspaper journalist Tahir Kum the investigation was initially launched following suspicious bets placed on the match between Ankaraspor and Nazillispor. Kum stated in the news headline, "This incident began with the match between Ankaraspor and Nazillispor, and the high volume of betting on that match." On 11 September 2025, roughly 1.5 years after the match in which no shots were taken, the TFF imposed bans on two club presidents and 18 footballers after conducting an investigation.[9][10][11]

The audit performed by the Turkish Football Federation, which was made public on October 27, 2025, revealed a massive violation of integrity in Turkish football refereeing and identified systemic illegal betting by referees. This audit included all 571 professional referees currently officiating in Turkey from every level of the sport. From this audit, it was revealed that 371, or 65%, of the active professional referees held registered betting accounts, which is a direct violation of FIFA and UEFA rules stating that referees are prohibited from any gambling, and simply having a betting account is a violation.[1]

Of these, 152 referees were found to have actively placed bets on football matches. This included both domestic competitions, like the Süper Lig and lower-tier Turkish leagues, and international fixtures. Among the implicated officials, seven were elite main referees from the Süper Lig, 15 were elite assistant referees, 36 were regional main referees, and 94 were regional assistant referees.[2][4]

Hacıosmanoğlu described the scale of betting activity as staggering. In extreme cases, ten referees placed over 10,000 bets each, with one referee making 18,227 bets. Furthermore, 42 referees were found to have placed more than 1,000 wagers specifically on football matches.[12]

Hacıosmanoğlu described the issue as a "deep-rooted problem" in Turkish football. He stressed a commitment to "clean up what is dirty" through strict measures. Under the TFF Disciplinary Code Article 57, gambling violations lead to penalties of three months to one-year bans. However, FIFA and UEFA are expected to impose harsher punishments due to the scandal’s extent and its threat to the sport's integrity. Further on, Hacıosmanoğlu announced a comprehensive reform plan, including: a nationwide referee training program across Turkey’s 81 provinces to instill ethical standards, enhanced oversight mechanisms, such as real-time monitoring of referee financial activities and collaboration with law enforcement to investigate potential match-fixing linked to betting patterns.

Zorbay Küçük, one of the referees referred to the PFDK as part of the investigation

Approximately 5 hours later Hacıosmanoğlu's press conference, journalist Murat Ağırel claimed on social media that MHK President Ferhat Gündoğdu had an active betting account.[13] Further more, Kum claimed that a club president placed 3,057 bets and won 476 times, a masseur placed 2,399 bets and won 329 times, a footballer placed 1,950 bets and won 340 times, while another footballer and coaching staff members were found to have placed bets 15,987 times and won 3,138 times.[9]

A day later, on 28 October, TFF and took disciplinary action against the 152 referees, referring them to the Professional Football Discipline Board (PFDK). 7 top flight main referees along the 152 were Zorbay Küçük, Egemen Artun, Mehmet Ali Özer, Melih Kurt, Muhammed Selim Özbek, Seyfettin Alper Yılmaz and Yunus Dursun.[14]

Among the 7, Yunus Dursun and Egemen Artun were each given a 10-month ban, while Muhammed Selim Özbek, Mehmet Ali Özer and Seyfettin Alper Yılmaz were each given an 8-month ban. It was also decided to continue the investigation into the allegations of betting activities involving top-tier referees Zorbay Küçük and Melih Kurt and lower-tier referee Mertcan Tubay.[15] The remaining 144 referees officiating in lower divisions were all punished with 8 to 12 month bans; due to these penalties exceeding 45 days, the refereeing rights of the 144 referees and 5 Süper Lig elite level referees were terminated.[15][16]

Küçük's lawyer argued that two fake betting accounts had been opened in the referee's name and that his identity details had been stolen by a foreign individual. Küçük stated that he had never been a member of a betting site or placed any bets, either before or during his refereeing career.[17][18]

On 31 October, during a political rally in Esenyurt, Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chair Özgür Özel claimed that the red card shown to Göztepe player in a Süper Lig match against an undisclosed team was "unfairly issued" and correlated with a substantial bet. Özel asserted that 5.5 million Turkish Lira was wagered on the red card from Northern Cyprus on the same day. Subsequently, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an ex officio investigation on 31 October 2025 into the claims of illegal betting and potential match manipulation related to the match.[19]

Responses

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The revelations were met with both outrage and a sense of validation by the major clubs, many of whom had previously voiced suspicions about match officiating:

  • Fenerbahçe welcomed the news, claiming it confirmed the club's long-standing arguments about a "toxic system" in Turkish football. The club's president, Sadettin Saran, called the findings "shocking and grave" and demanded full disclosure of the names of all implicated referees, the specific matches they officiated, and the impact on the league.
  • Galatasaray President Dursun Özbek supported the TFF's decision, acknowledging the findings were evidence of a deep "crisis of trust and justice." The club stressed the severity of the blow to sports ethics.
  • Beşiktaş praised the investigation as a "historic step toward clean football" and likewise urged the TFF to publicly release the names of the involved referees so the clubs could retroactively pursue their rights.[20]
  • Trabzonspor stated, "With the announcement made by the President of the Turkish Football Federation, İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, the extent of the structural decay that we have been voicing for a long time in the refereeing community has become clear."[21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Bahis skandalı! Yabancı hakem konusu gündeme gelecek mi? TFF kanadı açıkladı | NTVSpor". NTV Spor (in Turkish). 27 October 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Hundreds of Turkish referees found to place bets, says football federation head - Turkish News". Hürriyet Daily News. 27 October 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  3. ^ "Yaşar Kemal Uğurlu'nun istifasında kumar iddiası". Odatv (in Turkish). 11 February 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  4. ^ a b "TFF Chief Hacıosmanoğlu exposes Turkish referee betting scandal". Daily Sabah. 27 October 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  5. ^ "İstanbul Cumhuriyet Başsavcılığı'ndan açıklama: 'Nisan ayında soruşturma başlatıldı' - Fanatik Gazetesi Süper Lig Haberleri - Spor". Fanatik (in Turkish). 27 October 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  6. ^ "İstanbul Cumhuriyet Başsavcılığı'ndan hakemlere bahis soruşturması | NTVSpor". NTV Spor (in Turkish). 27 October 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  7. ^ "İstanbul Cumhuriyet Başsavcılığı: Yasa dışı bahis soruşturması derinleştirilerek sürdürülecek". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  8. ^ https://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/MevzuatMetin/1.5.6222.pdf
  9. ^ a b "Bomba iddia! Bahis skandalı büyüyor: İşin içinde futbolcular, başkanlar ve teknik direktörler var". Haberler (in Turkish). 27 October 2025. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
  10. ^ "Bahisten ilk cezalar Nazillispor ve Ankaraspor'a çıkmıştı". Demirören Haber Ajansı (in Turkish). 28 October 2025. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
  11. ^ "Nazillispor'un cezası onandı - Fanatik Gazetesi Futbol Haberleri - Spor". Fanatik (in Turkish). 11 September 2025. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
  12. ^ "Turkish football federation finds hundreds of referees have betting accounts". The Guardian. 27 October 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  13. ^ "Bahis skandalında ortalığı karıştıracak iddia! MHK Başkanı üye mi? - Sözcü Gazetesi". Sözcü (in Turkish). 27 October 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  14. ^ Gök, Fazlı (28 October 2025). "TFF bahis oynayan 152 hakemi açıkladı: Zorbay Küçük ve altı Süper Lig hakemi PFDK'ya sevk edildi - Diken". Diken (in Turkish). Retrieved 28 October 2025.
  15. ^ a b "TFF bahis oynayan hakemlere verilen cezaları açıkladı! Zorbay Küçük ve iki hakem için inceleme sürüyor". Hürriyet (in Turkish). 31 October 2025. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  16. ^ "The PFDK announced the penalties for the betting referees". Haberler.com. 31 October 2025. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
  17. ^ "Bahis soruşturması: Hakem Zorbay Küçük iddiaları reddetti, suç duyurusunda bulundu". Medyascope (in Turkish). 30 October 2025. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  18. ^ "Hakemlere bahis soruşturması: Zorbay Küçük açıklama yaptı". NTV (in Turkish). Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  19. ^ "Özgür Özel'in 5.5 milyon TL'lik bahis iddiasıyla ilgili soruşturma başlatıldı". Haberler (in Turkish). 31 October 2025. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
  20. ^ "Turkey probes hundreds of football referees involved in sports betting". euronews. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  21. ^ Habertürk. "Kulüplerden bahis tepkisi: O hakemler açıklansın! - Futbol Haberleri". Habertürk (in Turkish). Retrieved 27 October 2025.
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