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Seventeen referees have seen arrest warrants issued against them as part of Turkish football’s shocking match-fixing scandal. It was recently confirmed that an investigation spanning five years had taken a close look at officials operating in the country, with hundreds of them confirmed to have betting accounts. It was shown that out of the 571 officials operating in Turkey, 371 had accounts. Of those, 152 were active gamblers. Some of them had only ever placed one single bet, but 42 others had put wagers on over 1,000 matches. As part of the investigation, Turkish prosecutors have now issued arrest warrants for 21 people, including 17 referees and two football club presidents. It has been confirmed by Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office that simultaneous raids had been carried out across 12 cities including Istanbul. Eighteen suspects have already been taken into custody, with a further two believed to be abroad, while another could not be located. Identities have been kept undisclosed. As per a statement, the referees are being investigated on charges of misconduct in office and manipulating the outcome of games. Eyupspor president Murat Ozkay, Kasimpasa Sports Club's former owner Turgay Ciner and ex-president Fatih Sarac have all been named in the investigation, having all been accused of allegedly influencing match results. TFF president Ethem Haciosmanoglu said of the investigation earlier this year: “If we want to bring Turkish football to the place it deserves, we have to clean up whatever dirt there is.” Fenerbahce president Sadettin Saran added: “This is both shocking and deeply saddening for Turkish football, but the face that it is coming to light is a hopeful development.” All referees involved in the investigation have been referred to the Professional Football Disciplinary Board (PFDK). Haciosmanoglu recently revealed that 10 referees at the heart of the investigation had placed more than 10,000 bets via their respective account, with one official placing 18,227 bets. It is alleged that 142 referees placed bets on more than 1,000 matches, while other officials only placed a single bet. Meanwhile, Haciosmanoglu said the group under investigation included seven referees and 15 assistant referees from Turkey's top two divisions, as well as 36 "classified" referees and 94 assistants from the level below. As it stands, Galatasaray sit top of the Turkish Super League, having won nine of their opening 11 league games. They claimed the title last season for the fourth time in succession. Former Besiktas boss Jose Mourinho was a public critic of referees during his time in the Turkish Super Lig before being sacked. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us - and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
