The Istanbul public prosecutor’s office announced Friday that 46 individuals, including 29 football players, have been arrested as part of a sweeping investigation into illegal betting on Turkish football matches.
Among the detained players, 27 are suspected of placing bets on matches involving their own teams while they were actively playing, the prosecutor’s office said in an official statement.
This follows an earlier revelation in November, when 18 individuals, including referees suspected of wagering on matches, were held in connection with the probe. A week prior, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) suspended 149 referees implicated in the scandal.
The TFF’s disciplinary committee has since imposed suspensions ranging from eight to 12 months on several officials involved, while investigations continue for three additional referees. According to TFF, a review of 571 referees across Turkey’s professional leagues revealed that 371 had opened sports-betting accounts, with 152 confirmed to have placed wagers.
Notable among those sanctioned is Metehan Baltacı of reigning Super Lig champions Galatasaray, who earlier received a nine-month ban. The scandal has rocked Turkish football, with six referees and Eyüpspor’s club president placed in pre-trial detention on November 10.
Although prosecutors have not revealed the identities of 26 other players accused of betting on their own club’s matches, they confirmed that Fenerbahçe midfielder Mert Hakan Yandaş allegedly placed wagers via another person’s account. Authorities reported that 35 of the 46 individuals named in the arrest warrants are in police custody, while five are believed to be abroad.
Additionally, two club presidents face allegations of attempting to manipulate a third-division fixture during the 2023–2024 season, a match widely scrutinized after neither team registered a single shot on goal.
To date, the TFF has handed suspensions to over 1,000 players across Turkey, including 25 from the Super Lig. The penalties range from 45-day bans to year-long suspensions, with only one foreign player, Konyaspor’s Senegalese winger Alassane Ndao, receiving a 12-month ban. Most of those sanctioned—over 900 players—compete in Turkey’s third and fourth-tier leagues.
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