Betting scandal in Türkiye: More than 1,000 players suspended, many club presidents and referees arrested

According to the announcement of TFF, 1,024 professional players were found to be involved in illegal betting and match-fixing activities. The entire list has been forwarded to the Professional Football Disciplinary Board (PFDK).

The TFF's Legal Affairs Committee said that these include 27 players from the Turkish Super Lig, the top league, who are players of the reigning champions Galatasaray, Besiktas and several other top clubs. Some of the prominent names are Eren Elmalı and Metehan Baltacı of Galatasaray, Necip Uysal and Ersin Destanoglu of Besiktas, Boran Baskan and Salih Malkocoglu of Trabzonspor.

The TFF said the players were dealt with under Article 57 of the Football Disciplinary Regulations from 10/11/2025, which means suspension from competition, then awaiting further disciplinary measures pending further investigation.

Due to the player shortage, the 2nd and 3rd Division matches will be postponed for two weeks, while the Super Lig and 1st Division fixtures will continue as planned. To help clubs fill their empty squads, the TFF is also negotiating with FIFA to extend the winter transfer window and domestic player registration by 15 days.

A few days ago, the Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office carried out simultaneous raids in 12 cities across Turkey, arresting 18 suspects accused of wrongdoing in the management and manipulation of football match results.

Eyupspor president Murat Ozkay, former Kasimpasa owner Turgay Ciner and former president Fatih Sarac were among those arrested, along with 17 referees who will face criminal charges for influencing the outcome of football matches in Türkiye.

Türkiye is carrying out a major clean-up operation in football. Earlier, the TFF published a list of 571 referees working in professional leagues, including 371 who have betting accounts and 152 who are actively betting. This group includes 7 referees and 15 assistant referees from the top two divisions of Türkiye.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/be-boi-ca-do-o-tho-nhi-ky-hon-1000-cau-thu-bi-treo-gio-nhieu-chu-cich-clb-va-trong-tai-bi-bat-giu-post1795233.tpo