THE TURKISH Football Federation has banned 149 referees and assistants after an investigation found they had betting accounts.
An investigation has been ongoing for the last five years and discovered the majority of officials had betting accounts.
It was revealed that 152 were actively gambling with 42 of them betting on over 1,000 football matches.
One referee was found to have gambled with 18,227 bets.
The bans for the officials range from between eight to 12 months.
The three remaining officials are still under investigation and the TFF has confirmed they could still be penalised.
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The TFF forbids match officials from participating in betting just like players and coaches.
It is also a banned practice by Fifa and Uefa.
TFF president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu admitted that the scandal is a “moral crisis”.
He also revealed that officials had seen their pay increased over the last two years.
He told CNN: “There is a moral crisis in Turkish football. There is no such thing as structure.
“The fundamental problem at the core of Turkish football is an ethical one
“Ask any referee, if there is even one who has not received his pay, I will resign as federation president.
“In fact, we improved their salaries last year, and again this year.”
Some of Turkey’s biggest clubs have already responded to the findings in the investigation.
Besiktas said: “[It] could mark a new beginning for clean football.”
Meanwhile, Trabzonspor claimed that it could be “a historic opportunity to rebuild justice in Turkish football.”
Fenerbahce president Sadettin Saran said: “This is both shocking and deeply saddening for Turkish football.
“But the fact that it is coming to light is a hopeful development.”
The club’s former manager Jose Mourinho, previously claimed referees were against his side as he battled top dogs Galatasaray for the title.
He said a year ago: “We are not fighting the opposing team, we are fighting the system. And fighting the system is the hardest thing.
“Before coming to Turkey I heard these stories, but honestly I didn’t believe them.
“But after actually coming here, it was much more serious than what I heard.
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“I have complaints about the people at Fenerbahce who brought me here.
“They told half the truth and hid the rest. If I had known everything, I wouldn’t have come.”
