Turkish football continues to be shaken by a massive illegal betting scandal involving players, referees, officials, and at least one journalist.

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) announced today a development that exceeds all imagination: 1,024 professional footballers have been referred to the Disciplinary Committee (PFDK) after it was found that they had been involved in illegal betting activities.

The referral is based on Article 57 of the Football Disciplinary Regulations.

Big Names in the Indictment

Among the named players are key members of the country’s top clubs.

Notably, they include Ersin Destanoğlu and Necip Uysal of Beşiktaş; Metehan Baltacı and Eren Elmalı of Galatasaray; and Boran Başkan and Salih Malkoçoğlu of Trabzonspor.

The TFF Legal Affairs Committee stated that disciplinary measures will be taken pending further investigation.

Due to the potential for a serious shortage of players in club rosters, the TFF announced that it has already begun talks with FIFA to obtain permission to hold an extraordinary 15-day transfer window for domestic transfers, which would be added to the regular winter period.

At the same time, the Federation decided to postpone the matches of the TFF 2nd and 3rd Division leagues for two weeks, while the Süper Lig and 1st Division schedules will continue as planned.

The TFF noted that cases involving 47 players who placed only one bet will be reexamined, and the investigation may expand based on information received from state authorities.

Arrests of 17 Referees and Eyüpspor President

Meanwhile, following revelations by the president of the Turkish Football Federation, İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, about hundreds of referees with betting accounts, the Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office issued arrest warrants for 21 suspects.

The investigation began after statements by TFF president İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, who revealed that “371 referees have betting accounts, and it has been established that 152 of them actively participated in games.”

After this disclosure, the Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office ordered an investigation and, in cooperation with the Cybercrime Department, carried out extensive operations in 13 cities, including Ankara, Şanlıurfa, İzmir, Trabzon, Antalya, and Malatya.

The operation resulted in the arrest of 17 referees and the president of Eyüpspor, while warrants were also issued for former Kasımpaşa president Mehmet Fatih Saraç and businessman Turgay Çiner, who is reportedly abroad. Among the arrested referees are Ahmet Kıvanç Kanter, Arif Taşkın, Baran Karaman, Mustafa Özel, Nevzat Okat, Sabri Emre Tekin, Ufuk Tatlıcan, and Yasin Şen, who face charges of “breach of duty” and “influencing match results” under Law 6222 on the prevention of violence and disorder in sports.

Today, Monday, 11 referees who had been held since Friday were released under judicial supervision, while Turkish authorities are investigating suspicions of “fixed” matches. Six other referees remain in pretrial detention; they had been serving as assistant referees in the 3rd and 4th divisions.

Additionally, an arrest warrant was issued for journalist Umut Eken, accused of publishing “misleading information and documents” on social media. Eken was arrested at Istanbul Airport upon returning from Germany.

In a statement, the Prosecutor’s Office emphasized that the financial transactions of referees, the income they earn from refereeing, and any discrepancies with their personal income are being examined, while authorities are also investigating possible match-fixing cases.

It has been reported that the TFF Professional Football Disciplinary Committee (PFDK) has already imposed bans of 8 to 12 months on 149 referees, while investigations continue for another three. Turkish authorities stress that the illegal betting network may be broader and that arrests are likely to expand.