Turkish football has been rocked by a massive illegal betting scandal, with prosecutors ordering the arrest of dozens of individuals, including nearly thirty professional players.
Widespread Arrests Target Players and Officials
Istanbul prosecutors have issued an arrest order for forty-six people, a group that shockingly includes twenty-nine football players. This move marks a significant escalation in an investigation that has been sending shockwaves through the sport in Turkey for months. Authorities confirmed that thirty-five of those targeted have already been taken into custody, while five others are believed to be outside the country.
The core of the allegation is deeply damaging to the sport's integrity. Prosecutors state that twenty-seven of the arrested players are suspected of placing bets on matches involving their own teams. This is considered a serious breach of sporting ethics and regulations.
High-Profile Names and Club Presidents Involved
Among those named is Metehan Baltaci, a player from the reigning Turkish champions, Galatasaray. Baltaci had already been suspended for nine months earlier in December over the same scandal. In another high-profile case, prosecutors confirmed that Fenerbahce midfielder Mert Hakan Yandas allegedly placed wagers through another person's account.
The scandal is not limited to players. The arrest order also includes two club presidents who are accused of trying to influence the outcome of a third-division match during the 2023-2024 season. Investigators became suspicious of this particular fixture when neither side made any real attempt to score, suggesting possible match manipulation.
Football Federation Takes Action with Mass Suspensions
In response to the growing crisis, the Turkish Football Federation has already taken sweeping punitive action. They have suspended more than one thousand players in connection with betting offences. This includes twenty-five players from the top-flight Super Lig.
The bans handed out range from forty-five days to a full year. Notably, only one foreign player has been sanctioned so far: Konyaspor's Senegalese winger, Alassane Ndao, who received a one-year suspension. The vast majority of those punished—over nine hundred individuals—come from the lower leagues of Turkish football.
The federation's crackdown began earlier, with nearly one hundred and fifty referees dismissed in October after being suspended for betting on matches. This series of actions underscores the scale of the corruption problem now engulfing the national sport.
The investigation intensified back in November when six referees and the president of Super Lig club Eyupspor were placed in pre-trial detention. With the latest arrest orders, it is clear that Turkish authorities are determined to root out illegal betting and match-fixing at all levels of the game.
