The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) launched Monday a probe into referee Arda Kardeşler using a coin with the bitcoin logo for the toss on Sunday’s match between Beşiktaş and Fenerbahçe.
"It has come to our attention that Arda Kardeşler, the referee for the Beşiktaş-Fenerbahçe match ... used the coin without prior knowledge and approval of the TFF and MHK (Central Referring Committee). An investigation has now been opened into the issue," the TFF said in a statement.
Earlier Sunday, Beşiktaş and Fenerbahçe faced each other in the much-hyped Istanbul derby at Vodafone Park. The game week 36 match, which ended in a 1-1 stalemate, was officiated by referee Kardeşler.
Prior to the kick off, Kardeşler called on Beşiktaş captain Josef de Souza and Fenerbahçe skipper Altay Bayındır for the coin toss, where instead of a traditional coin, he used one carrying the bitcoin logo.
While host Beşiktaş is yet to make a statement on the issue, it could be a publicity stunt by the club's new main sponsor, Rain, an Istanbul-based crypto-asset services provider.
Turkey has a ban on the use of cryptocurrencies and crypto-assets in payments for goods and services, due to possible "irrevocable" damage and significant transaction risks.
