Turkish authorities formally arrested eight people, including top-tier club chairman Murat Özkaya, 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 inquiries.
Earlier this month the TFF suspended 149 referees and assistant referees after an investigation found officials in the country’s professional leagues had betting accounts. Turkey’s state-owned Anadolu news agency reported a court ordered the arrest of Eyupspor chairman Özkaya and seven others; Eyupspor, who play in the Super Lig, were not immediately available for comment.
In a statement the TFF said it had forwarded 1,024 players from all leagues to the Professional Football Disciplinary Council (PFDK), including 27 players from the Super Lig, all of whom have been suspended. The 27 include 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.
Matches in the second- and third-tier leagues were suspended for two weeks, and local media said the TFF board would hold an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday. FIFA did not immediately respond to Reuters about the investigation or the TFF’s request.
TFF president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu described the situation as a “moral crisis in Turkish football”. The federation’s probe found 371 of 571 active referees had betting accounts and 152 were actively gambling. One referee had placed 18,227 bets and 42 referees had bet on more than 1,000 matches each; others had bet only once.
