Over 1,000 Players Suspended in Turkish Soccer Betting Crackdown
Posted on: November 12, 2025, 03:02h.
Last updated on: November 12, 2025, 03:02h.
- Widespread betting violations trigger sweeping suspensions across Turkish football
- Referees placed thousands of bets, sparking national investigations
- TFF promises strict reforms and lifetime bans for offenders
The scandal enveloping Turkish soccer deepened Monday after the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) announced that 1,024 players had been suspended for betting violations.
Among them are 27 players who represent clubs in the Super Lig, Türkiye’s top tier, including two at reigning champion Besiktas.
Elmani Embroiled
Best known among the suspended players is Galatasaray defender Eren Elmali, a Türkiye international who has featured four times for his club in the Champions League this year.
I want to make it clear that the reason my name appears in this file is because, about five years ago, a bet was placed on a match involving my former team, without my knowledge or involvement,” Elmali wrote on Instagram. “Since that day, I have had no connection whatsoever to betting or this issue.”
Several other players also defended themselves, claiming accounts had been opened in their names without their knowledge.
Gambling Refs
The move follows news last week that the federation had suspended 149 referees for actively betting on matches in violation of TFF, UEFA, and FIFA rules. Three more referees remain under investigation.
The TFF found that 10 referees had placed more than 10,000 bets each, while one had made an extraordinary 18,227 wagers.
Seven referees and 15 assistant referees who were actively making bets worked in Turkey’s top two divisions. Some bet on games they were refereeing, according to the TFF.
On Friday, Reuters reported that Turkish authorities had issued detention orders for 21 people, including 17 referees and a club chairman.
While none of the players or referees are currently accused of match-fixing, a criminal investigation into the potential manipulation of games by the Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office has been ongoing since April.
If match-fixing were to be proven, perpetrators could face prison sentences ranging from 1.5 to 4.5 years, plus lifetime bans from the sport.
‘Purge the Filth’
Meanwhile, TFF president İbrahim Hacıosmanoglu has said its time to drain the swamp. “Our duty is to elevate Turkish soccer to its rightful place and to purge it of all its filth,” he told a news conference two weeks ago.
The only authorized sports-betting provider in Türkiye is the state-run operator, İddaa. Using unlicensed foreign betting platforms is strictly prohibited for Turkish residents and can result in legal penalties. It remains unclear whether the players and referees placed their bets through İddaa or via illegal offshore sites.
The TFF stated that it intends to strengthen oversight by implementing a system to track referees’ financial activities and by imposing lifetime bans on anyone found to have bet on sporting events.
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