Turkey bans 147 club officials for 45 days in betting probe

ISTANBUL, Oct 20 : The Turkish Football Federation's disciplinary committee imposed 45-day bans on 147 current and former club officials on Tuesday for violating betting rules, as part of a sweeping investigation into gambling in Turkish soccer.

The Professional Football Disciplinary Board issued the penalties after reviewing the cases of 448 officials referred by the federation over allegations they had placed bets while serving at clubs.

The committee found that 147 out of 448 individuals had violated betting rules and imposed 45-day penalties, which bar football officials from carrying out duties within the sport during the suspension period.

Those sanctioned included Ertugrul Dogan, president of Super Lig club Trabzonspor, according to the committee's ruling. The board imposed no penalties in the other 301 cases after finding insufficient grounds for disciplinary action.

The TFF said in September that it had provisionally suspended 448 current and former club officials, who had served over the previous five years at clubs competing in Turkey's top two divisions.

The federation said at the time that those referred had been found to have placed bets while holding club positions.

The TFF has tightened its oversight of betting since a scandal rocked Turkish soccer last year. The federation suspended 149 referees and 1,024 players for various periods of time as part of the investigation.