Turkish football has been plunged into a profound crisis as authorities launched a sweeping investigation into alleged betting on matches, resulting in the suspension of a staggering 1,024 players and the arrest of eight individuals, including a top-tier club chairman.
Widespread Suspensions and Arrests
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has taken drastic action, referring 1,024 players from all professional leagues to the Professional Football Disciplinary Council (PFDK) pending disciplinary investigations. Among those suspended are 27 players from the prestigious Super Lig, including representatives from champion clubs Galatasaray and their Istanbul rivals Besiktas.
This unprecedented move follows last month's suspension of 149 match officials, including referees and assistant referees, after an internal TFF investigation revealed widespread betting among officials working in Turkey's professional leagues.
In a parallel criminal investigation, Turkish authorities formally arrested eight people on Monday. Among those detained was Murat Ozkaya, chairman of Super Lig club Eyupspor, according to state-owned Anadolu news agency. The court's decision to arrest Ozkaya and seven others marks a significant escalation in the probe.
Football Federation's Emergency Response
The scale of the suspensions has forced the TFF to seek emergency measures from world football governing body FIFA. The federation has urgently requested a special 15-day transfer window at the national level, in addition to the regular 2025-2026 winter transfer period, to allow clubs to fill squad vacancies created by the mass suspensions.
Meanwhile, matches in Turkey's second and third-tier leagues have been suspended for two weeks as the crisis deepens. The TFF board has scheduled an extraordinary meeting for Tuesday at 2pm GMT to address the escalating situation.
TFF president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu has described the scandal as representing a "moral crisis in Turkish football", highlighting the severity of the situation facing the nation's most popular sport.
Shocking Scale of Referee Betting Revealed
The TFF's own investigation uncovered disturbing details about betting activities among match officials. The probe found that 371 of 571 active referees in Turkey's professional leagues maintained betting accounts, with 152 of them actively gambling on matches.
Perhaps most alarmingly, the investigation revealed that one referee had placed bets 18,227 times, while 42 officials had wagered on more than 1,000 football matches each. Others were found to have placed only single bets, but the overall pattern revealed systematic involvement in gambling activities.
FIFA has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding both the investigation and the TFF's appeal for additional transfer flexibility to manage the fallout from what appears to be one of football's most extensive integrity crises in recent years.
