Jose Mourinho vindicated as major scandal exposed in Turkey involving 152 REFEREES

Jose Mourinho was often outspoken about the state of refereeing in Turkey and senior figures in the country have unearthed a major issues with 152 referees found to be gambling

Football bosses in Turkey have begun disciplinary proceedings after 152 referees were found to be actively gambling – which follows numerous rants from Jose Mourinho about the state of officiating when he was in charge at Fenerbahce.

The Special One was a vocal critic of the standard of refereeing, once claiming he would’ve turned down the job if he knew it in advance, and now the country’s authorities have unearth a major issue after years.

An investigation spanning five years has shown that out of the 571 officials operating in the country, 371 had betting 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.

The worst example showed that one referee had bet 18,227 times. Seven of the officials operate in Turkey’s Super Lig and second tier. The top two divisions also feature 15 assistant referees from the investigation.

Mourinho’s frustrations at “fighting the system” has come full circle in light of the investigation, which has tarnished a number of referees. Although there has been no evidence to suggest any game involving Mourinho’s Fenerbahce was impacted by a bet made by a referee.

READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo pep talk fails as unwanted Al Nassr record continuesREAD MORE: Inside Liverpool dressing room after damning Brentford defeat as Reds star reveals all

He previously said: “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.

“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.”

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) is now ready to dish out punishments after launching disciplinary proceedings. Their rule book states that officials who place bets face bans of up to a year. But FIFA rules go even further and the referees involved could also end up with three-year football-wide bans and fines of nearly £95,000.

TFF president Ethem Haciosmanoglu said: “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 said: “This is both shocking and deeply saddening for Turkish football, but the face that it is coming to light is a hopeful development.”

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.