Türkiye arrests 8, suspends more than 1,000 players in betting scandal

(Dan Tri) - Turkish authorities have arrested eight people, including the president of a top club, and suspended more than 1,000 players in an investigation into a large-scale betting scandal that has rocked the country's football industry.

Yesterday (November 10), Turkish authorities officially arrested 8 people, including the president of a leading football club, as part of an investigation into allegations of betting on football matches. At the same time, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) suspended 1,024 players for disciplinary investigation.

The move comes after the TFF, earlier in November, suspended 149 referees and assistant referees after discovering that some officials working in the country's professional leagues were involved in betting on football matches.

Eyupspor Club President - Murat Ozkaya (left) was arrested (Photo: Getty).

According to the state-run Anadolu news agency, the court has ordered the arrest of Eyupspor club president Murat Ozkaya and seven others to serve the investigation. Eyupspor has not yet made any comments.

In a statement, the TFF said it had forwarded the files of 1,024 players across all divisions to the Professional Football Disciplinary Board (PFDK) for investigation, including 27 players playing in the national Super Lig championship – all of whom have been suspended.

Among them are players from Galatasaray – the reigning Super Lig champions, as well as Besiktas and several other clubs in Istanbul.

“Due to the transfer of 1,024 player profiles to PFDK, TFF is urgently negotiating with FIFA to extend the player transfer and registration period by 15 days, beyond the 2025-26 winter transfer window, to help domestic clubs supplement their missing squads,” TFF said.

TFF also announced the postponement of matches in the Second and Third Divisions for two weeks, while local media said the TFF Board of Directors will hold an extraordinary meeting at 9 p.m. tonight (November 11, Vietnam time).

FIFA has not yet responded to Reuters' request for comment on the investigation or TFF's proposal to extend the transfer deadline by 15 days.

TFF President Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu called it “a moral crisis in Turkish football”.

According to the TFF's internal investigation, of the 571 referees working in professional leagues, 371 owned betting accounts, and 152 of them regularly gambled. One referee was found to have placed 18,227 bets, while 42 others bet on more than 1,000 matches. Some others were only found to have bet once.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/tho-nhi-ky-bat-giu-8-nguoi-dinh-chi-hon-1000-cau-thu-trong-be-boi-ca-cuoc-20251111091917637.htm