The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has suspended 1,024 players from its professional leagues as part of an investigation into betting activity, including 27 players from Turkey’s top division, who have been referred to the Professional Football Disciplinary Board (PFDK).
As a result of this decision, matches in the third and fourth divisions of Turkish football have been postponed for two weeks, while games in the top two divisions will continue as scheduled.
The TFF has requested an additional 15 days beyond the winter transfer window from FIFA to help clubs handle squad shortages, and FIFA has yet to respond to this request.
Besiktas, one of Turkey’s largest clubs, announced that two of their players are involved but expressed “full faith” in their innocence, while Galatasaray, the reigning Super Lig champions, also mentioned that two of their players are under investigation and stated they will follow the process “meticulously.”
Local media reports indicate that eight individuals, including a club chairman, have been arrested in connection with the investigations, notably Murat Ozkaya, chairman of Super Lig side Eyupspor, is among those arrested along with six referees.
The scandal first emerged on 27 October, when TFF President Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu claimed that hundreds of referees were linked to betting accounts, reporting that out of 571 referees in Turkey’s professional leagues, 371 had betting accounts, 152 were actively placing wagers, this group included seven referees and 15 assistant referees from the top two divisions along with 36 classified referees and 94 assistants from lower divisions.
Haciosmanoglu also revealed that 10 referees placed more than 10,000 bets, with one referee placing a staggering 18,227 bets, and additionally, 142 referees wagered on more than 1,000 matches.
Under TFF regulations, as well as those set by FIFA and UEFA, players, coaches, and match officials are prohibited from participating in betting activities.
Recently, Turkish prosecutors issued detention orders for 21 individuals, including 17 referees and two football club presidents, as part of a major investigation into betting and match-fixing.
