The referee who used Bitcoin and Ethereum logos in a football match is investigated

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) decided to open an investigation into the use of a coin with the Bitcoin and Ethereum logos, by referee Arda Kardeşler, to define the kick-off of the Besiktas vs Fenerbahce game held this week. The fact has become quite a scandal in the European country where the use of cryptocurrencies is prohibited.

The TFF, affiliated to FIFA, through a statement, he catalogued the use of a coin with the Bitcoin logo as “an incident from which we strongly disassociate ourselves. It has come to our attention that Arda Kardeşler, the referee of the match, used that coin without prior knowledge, nor the approval of the Federation or the Referees Committee. So now an investigation has been opened on the subject.”

So far it is unknown what aspects the federative entity will consider to carry out the investigation that it decided to open, or if it plans any sanction to its own representative on the field.

The truth is that after the use of the symbolic currency that sported the logos of the most recognized cryptocurrencies on the market, many viewers began to debate if the referee’s action was a sponsored, according to a local media report.

Although cryptocurrencies are becoming more and more popular on the planet, in Turkey many seem to be unaware that bitcoin it is a decentralized crypto asset. It is the first digital currency that managed to transfer value between users without the need for a central authority to verify transactions, so there is no authority that sponsors its use.

Scandal over the use of the bitcoin logo on a football field

In any case, so far it is not known what prompted referee Arda Kardeşler to use the coin that on the one hand had the logo of Bitcoin and on the other hand that of Ethereum. What the court judge probably didn’t know is that his action would turn into a scandal.

Perhaps it was a mischief on his part to find out which of the two would win a football match, however, there were no winners, rather Besiktas and Fenerbahce tied at one goal per side.

Before the start of the match, Kardeşler followed the traditional rules of FIFA matches, so he called the captain of Beşiktaş, Josef de Souza, and the captain of Fenerbahçe, Altay Bayındır, to make the draw with which the team that will make the initial pitch is decided.

For this type of draw, referees usually use a symbolic coin that has a ball on one side and the image of a football field on the other. Now, the use of a different currency is considered unethical by some football fans that opinion on Twitter.

It should be recalled that the use of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to make payments for purchases and services it is banned in Turkey , as reported by Criptonews a year ago. Several months later, the country’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared war on the cryptocurrency pioneer.