Eight Arrested And 1,024 Players Suspended As Gambling Probe Widens In Turkey

Ankara – A widening gambling probe has shaken Turkish football to its core, leading to the arrest of eight individuals, including a top-tier club chairman, and the suspension of over a thousand players across all leagues. The arrests and suspensions come amidst allegations of widespread betting on football matches and potential match-fixing.

On Monday, Turkish authorities formally arrested eight people, including Eyupspor Chairman Murat Ozkaya. A court in Ankara ordered the detentions as part of a sweeping investigation into alleged betting activity across the country's professional leagues, according to the state-owned Anadolu news agency. Eyupspor has not yet released a statement.

In a stunning move, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) announced the suspension of 1,024 players from all divisions pending disciplinary investigations. This includes 27 players from the top-tier Super Lig, with members of reigning champions Galatasaray and Istanbul rivals Besiktas among those suspended.

The TFF has referred all 1,024 players to the Professional Football Disciplinary Board (PFDK). The federation is also in urgent discussions with FIFA to request a special 15-day domestic transfer window in addition to the regular winter period of 2025-2026, allowing clubs to fill the vacancies in their squads. Matches in Turkey's second and third divisions have been postponed for two weeks. An emergency executive meeting of the TFF board is scheduled for Tuesday.

The TFF's actions follow an earlier suspension of 149 referees and assistant referees after an internal investigation revealed that many officials in the country's professional leagues were betting on football matches.

TFF President Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu has described the situation as a "moral crisis in Turkish football". The TFF's investigation revealed that 371 of 571 active referees in Turkey's professional leagues had betting accounts, and 152 of them were actively gambling. One referee had reportedly placed 18,227 bets, while 42 others had bet on more than 1,000 football matches each.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office is conducting a criminal investigation parallel to the TFF's disciplinary probe. The prosecutor's office emphasized that the two processes are independent, meaning that a referee or official cleared by the TFF could still face prosecution. The investigation spans the entire football ecosystem, from amateur clubs to the Super Lig, and covers five years of financial and digital records, including betting-site transactions.

The investigation has already led to changes in national team rosters. Eren Elmali was removed from the senior squad, Izzet Celik was dropped from the Under-21 team, and Ege Albayrak was removed from the Under-19 squad. Elmali, who plays for Galatasaray, stated that his inclusion in the investigation stems from a single betting transaction five years ago on a match not involving his team and that he has not placed any bets since.

FIFA has not yet responded to a request for comment on the probe and the TFF's request for a 15-day transfer window.

The unfolding scandal has sparked public outrage, with fan groups demanding full transparency and accountability. The TFF aims to clean up Turkish football and restore trust in the sport.