Turkish football betting scandal explained: How poor refereeing unearthed massive crisis

In 2023, Faruk Koca, the then-president of the third division Turkish side MKE Ankaragücü, stormed onto the pitch and delivered a punch to the referee. Halil Umut Meler was hit right in his face in a controversial episode that made headlines across the world.

Before that, in 2015, İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, the current head of Turkish Football Federation (TFF), who was leading top-tier club Trabzonspor at that time, locked the officials in the stadium overnight after a bizarre on-field decision.

The two incidents could be seen as big officials manhandling powerless referees. However, for those who were following football in the country, these incidents summed up the absolute frustration with consistently poor on-field decisions. Koca and Hacıosmanoğlu were not the only two mad at referees; most fans in Turkey were too.

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Now we know that a lot that was wrong with officiating was actually not poor decision-making, but plain malice.

2025 Turkish football betting scandal explained

Late last month, TFF revealed the results of an internal audit in Istanbul. The scale of findings was shocking even for those who did view things with suspicion.

The audit found 371 of 571 active referees across the professional leagues in the country had betting accounts. 152 of these officials were actively gambling. Seven of these were referees from the Turkish Süper Lig, the top tier of football in the country.

All of this was against FIFA’s policies, which bar referees from betting on football games.

After the findings, the federation jumped into action to begin one of the biggest clean-up programmes in the country’s footballing history.

149 referees and assistant referees have been suspended. Detention orders have been issued against 21 individuals, including club executives. Murat Özkaya, the chair of the top-tier side Eyüpspor, was among those arrested.

Over 1000 people across leagues in Turkey have been suspended, with 102 from the top two tiers also facing suspension with punishments ranging from 45 days to one year. The third and fourth divisions of Turkish football were shut down for two weeks even as the top two manage time with depleted sides.

The net has been cast so wide that players from the biggest of clubs and the national team, too, have not been spared.

İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, the man leading the charge

From locking officials in the stadium for a night to cleaning up the mess that was compromised refereeing, TFF president Hacıosmanoğlu has come a long way. He is now on a mission to win the trust of fans back.

Hacıosmanoğlu has introduced an AI-enhanced VAR system and a whistleblower hotline to boost the federation’s fight against match-fixing.

“We believe we will succeed on this path to clean football,” he told the Guardian. “We are aware that this is a long and difficult path. However, every evening has its morning. The sun will surely rise after the darkness. Our duty is to elevate Turkish football to its rightful place and to purge it of all its filth.”

“Football is more than sport – it is unity, pride and peace,” Hacıosmanoğlu said. “We will stand firm against anything that darkens this joy. The deserving will always win.”

TTF, which kept kicking the can down the road, has finally taken unfair practices seriously and is now aiming to restore public faith in the game.