Turkish authorities arrested eight people on Monday as part of a widening investigation into alleged betting on football matches, including Murat Özkaya, chairman of Super Lig club Eyupspor. Eyupspor, who compete in the top flight, had no immediate comment, and state-owned Anadolu news agency reported a court ordered the arrests.
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has moved to suspend 1,024 players from all domestic leagues and referred them to the Professional Football Disciplinary Council (PFDK) for disciplinary proceedings. Among those suspended are 27 players from the Super Lig, including members of reigning champions Galatasaray and Istanbul rivals Besiktas. The federation said the suspensions are precautionary while the inquiries proceed.
Earlier this month the TFF suspended 149 referees and assistant referees after finding that match officials held betting accounts. The federation’s internal probe found that 371 of 571 active referees had betting accounts, and 152 were actively placing bets. The scale of wagering varied widely: one referee registered 18,227 bets, 42 referees had bet on more than 1,000 matches each, while others had placed only a single bet.
TFF president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu described the situation as a “moral crisis in Turkish football” and the federation announced urgent talks with FIFA. The TFF has requested a special, national-only 15-day transfer and registration window in addition to the 2025–26 winter transfer period so that clubs can address squad shortfalls caused by the suspensions.
Matches in the second- and third-tier leagues have been suspended for two weeks while the investigation continues, and local media reported the TFF board planned an extraordinary meeting. FIFA had not immediately responded to requests for comment from Reuters concerning the probe or the transfer-window request.
The arrests, the mass suspensions of players and officials, and the suspension of lower-league matches mark a significant escalation in Turkey’s efforts to tackle suspected illegal betting and corruption within domestic football. Investigations and disciplinary proceedings are ongoing.
