Over 1,000 Players Suspended in Turkish Football Betting Scandal

By Micheal Chukwuebuka

More than 1,000 footballers have been suspended by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) in a widening betting scandal that has shaken the nation’s football scene. Among those implicated is national team defender Eren Elmali, who plays for reigning Super Lig champions Galatasaray.

TFF President Ibrahim Hacıosmanoğlu described the situation as a “moral crisis” and pledged to cleanse Turkish football of “all its filth.”

According to the federation, 1,024 players, including 27 from the top-flight Super Lig, have been referred to a disciplinary commission. Matches in the third and fourth divisions have been suspended for two weeks, while fixtures in the Super Lig and second tier will continue as scheduled.

The TFF has also begun urgent discussions with FIFA, seeking a 15-day extension to the winter transfer window to allow clubs to fill squad gaps caused by the sweeping suspensions.

The scandal follows weeks of investigations into alleged illegal betting by referees and players on football matches, a practice strictly banned under FIFA rules.

Last week, prosecutors issued detention warrants for 21 individuals, including 17 referees and the president of a top-flight club. Local media reported that eight people, among them a club chairman, were formally arrested on Monday as part of the ongoing probe.

The crisis first erupted last month when the TFF suspended 149 referees and assistant referees after a government agency discovered that 371 of 571 active referees held accounts with betting companies. Of those, 152 allegedly placed bets on football matches, including seven top-level referees and 15 assistant referees.

One referee is accused of betting on 18,227 games, while ten others reportedly wagered on over 10,000 matches each in five years.

“This is a moral crisis in Turkish football,” Hacıosmanoğlu said at a press conference two weeks ago. “Our duty is to elevate Turkish football to its rightful place and to purge it of all its filth.”