Turkish authorities arrest eight people and suspend 1,024 players in betting investigation

Turkish authorities formally arrested eight people, including a top-tier club chairman, on Monday as part of an investigation into alleged betting on football matches. The Turkish football federation (TFF) has also suspended 1,024 players pending disciplinary investigations.

The TFF suspended 149 referees and assistant referees earlier this month, after an investigation found officials working in the country’s professional leagues were betting on football matches.

Turkey’s state-owned Anadolu news agency reported that a court had ruled to arrest the Eyupspor chairman, Murat Ozkaya, and seven others as part of the investigation. Eyupspor, who play in the top-tier Turkish Super Lig, were not immediately available to comment.

In a statement, the TFF said it had sent 1,024 players from all leagues to the Professional Football Disciplinary Council (PFDK) as part of the investigation, including 27 players from the Super Lig, who have all been suspended. Among those 27 were players from champions Galatasaray and Istanbul rivals Besiktas, among others.

“Due to the precautionary transfer of 1,024 football players to the PFDK, negotiations have been initiated urgently with Fifa to grant a 15-day transfer and registration period in addition to the 2025-2026 winter transfer period, only at the national level, in order for clubs to complete their squad deficiencies,” the TFF said.

It also said matches in the second and third-tier leagues were suspended for two weeks, while local media said the TFF board would hold an extraordinary meeting at 2pm (GMT) on Tuesday.

Football’s world governing body, Fifa, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the investigation and the TFF’s request for a 15-day transfer window.

The TFF president, Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu has described the situation as a “moral crisis in Turkish football”. Its own 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 placed bets 18,227 times and 42 referees had bet on more than 1,000 football matches each. Others were found to have bet only once.

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