The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has suspended 1,024 players pending disciplinary investigations in a widening betting scandal that has rocked Turkish football, with authorities arresting eight people including a top-tier club president.
The suspensions, announced on November 10, 2025, include 27 players from Turkey’s premier Super Lig, notably Galatasaray defender Eren Elmali, who represents the Turkish national team. The dramatic move follows the suspension of 149 referees and assistant referees late last month after investigations revealed widespread betting activity among match officials.
Turkish Football Federation President Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu described the situation as a “moral crisis in Turkish football” during a news conference in late October. He vowed to elevate Turkish football to its rightful place and purge the sport of all its problems, emphasizing zero tolerance for corruption.
The 1,024 suspended players span all divisions of Turkish professional football. According to the federation’s breakdown, 27 come from the Super Lig, 77 from the second division, 282 from the third tier, 629 from the fourth division, and nine from amateur leagues. All players have been referred to the Professional Football Disciplinary Board under Article 57 of the Football Disciplinary Instruction.
Matches in Turkey’s third and fourth divisions have been suspended for two weeks due to significant squad deficiencies caused by the mass suspensions. However, fixtures in the Super Lig, currently led by defending champions Galatasaray, and the second tier will continue as scheduled.
The federation has initiated urgent negotiations with FIFA to secure an emergency 15-day transfer and registration period at the national level. This additional window would supplement the regular 2025-26 winter transfer window, allowing clubs to address severe squad shortages created by the suspensions.
Turkish authorities formally arrested Eyupspor Chairman Murat Ozkaya and seven other individuals on Monday, November 11, as part of their investigation into widespread betting activities. Prosecutors had issued detention warrants for 21 people on November 7, including 17 referees and the Eyupspor president. The referees face possible charges of abuse of office and influencing match outcomes.
The scandal first erupted when the Turkish Football Federation announced on October 27 that an internal audit had uncovered extensive betting activity among match officials. A government agency determined that 371 of 571 active referees held accounts with betting companies, violating FIFA and UEFA integrity codes that prohibit referees from any gambling activity, including merely holding betting accounts.
Of those 371 referees with betting accounts, 152 were found to have actively placed bets on football matches. This group included seven elite Super Lig referees, 15 elite assistant referees, 36 regional main referees, and 94 regional assistant referees.
The investigation revealed staggering levels of betting activity among some officials. One referee allegedly placed bets on 18,227 games, raising profound concerns about officiating integrity. Ten referees placed bets on more than 10,000 matches each over five years, while 42 referees wagered on over 1,000 football matches. Some officials reportedly placed just a single bet.
Among the high-profile players suspended is Galatasaray’s Eren Elmali, who has 20 caps for Turkey’s national team. He was withdrawn from the squad ahead of World Cup qualifying matches against Spain and Bulgaria. Elmali posted on Instagram explaining that his suspension related to a single bet placed approximately five years ago on a match not involving his own team, asserting no further involvement in betting since then.
Besiktas players Necip Uysal and goalkeeper Ersin Destanoglu, both named on the suspension list, have denied any connection to betting. Speaking at the Istanbul Courthouse on November 11 after filing criminal complaints, Destanoglu stated his conscience was clear and suggested that fake accounts had been opened using stolen identity information. Both players expressed frustration that their names were made public before they could explain themselves to the federation.
The federation’s statement noted that disciplinary procedures for 47 players found to have engaged in a single betting transaction will be reviewed separately. Their cases will be evaluated based on new evidence and information from relevant institutions to avoid irreparable damage.
Major Turkish clubs responded strongly to the revelations. Fenerbahce President Sadettin Saran welcomed the investigation, calling the findings shocking and grave. He claimed they confirmed the club’s longstanding arguments about a toxic system in Turkish football and demanded full disclosure of all implicated referees, matches they officiated, and their impact on the league.
Galatasaray President Dursun Ozbek called the investigation an important turning point, demanding transparent publication of referee names, matches they officiated, and betting details. Trabzonspor stated that the announcements confirmed the extent of structural decay in the refereeing community that the club had been highlighting for years.
Besiktas praised the investigation as a historic step toward clean football and urged the federation to publicly release involved referee names so clubs could retroactively pursue their rights. Some clubs have called for abolishing relegation this season given the extraordinary circumstances.
The federation announced plans for a comprehensive referee training program emphasizing ethical compliance, enhanced oversight mechanisms including real-time monitoring of referee financial activities, and collaboration with law enforcement to investigate potential match-fixing linked to the betting activities.
Turkish football had enjoyed a recent resurgence on the European stage, with clubs performing well in continental competitions and the national team advancing in major tournaments. The betting scandal now threatens to overshadow these achievements and has sparked calls for urgent reforms across the sport’s governance structure.
FIFA and UEFA are expected to impose harsher punishments than domestic penalties due to the scandal’s extent and its threat to football’s integrity. Under the TFF Disciplinary Code Article 57, gambling violations lead to penalties ranging from three months to one year bans.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has expanded its investigation, which originally launched in April, following formal denunciations from the football federation. Prosecutors are examining whether the betting activities extended to match-fixing, which would constitute more serious criminal offenses beyond disciplinary violations.
The suspended referees issued a collective statement on November 6 vehemently denying they ever placed bets on matches they officiated. They admitted some had participated in online betting years ago during their amateur days, while accusing the federation of turning them into scapegoats in a politically charged operation.
As the investigation continues, Turkish football faces one of its most significant integrity crises in modern history. The outcome will determine whether the sport can restore public confidence and rebuild its reputation both domestically and on the international stage.
