‘purge It Of All Its Filth’: Inside The Betting Scandal Gripping Turkish Football

Everything successful Turkish football, it seemed, was going excessively well. Galatasaray person been flying successful nan Champions League, powered by Victor Osimhen. Arda Güler is soaring astatine Real Madrid pinch goals and assists. Even nan men’s nationalist team, nether Vincenzo Montella, person looked their astir promising successful years.

But it would not beryllium Turkish shot without play and play is what nan hardline president of nan Turkish Football Federation (TFF), İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, has delivered.

He promised to drain nan swamp and aft an soul investigation he declared nan swamp not only existed but was flowing correct nether nan pitch. “As a federation, we started by cleaning up our ain backmost yard,” Hacıosmanoğlu said. “If we want to bring Turkish shot to nan spot it deserves, we person to cleanable up immoderate ungraded location is.”

Ibrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, president of nan Turkish Football Federation. Photograph: Mostafa Bassim /Anadolu/Getty Images

The investigation’s figures would beryllium funny if they weren’t true. It recovered 371 of 571 progressive referees crossed nan master leagues held betting accounts. Worse, 152 officials were actively gambling, including 7 top-tier Süper Lig referees.

Referees are banned from betting connected shot nether Fifa’s codification of morals but nan information revealed 1 charismatic had placed much than 18,000 shot bets successful 5 years and 42 officials had stake connected much than 1,000 matches each. Some officials person claimed they were not betting connected games they were officiating aliases that they signed up to betting sites to watch shot matches. But Turkish refereeing, agelong regarded arsenic prone to error, whitethorn person been fundamentally compromised.

For years nan tribal fanbases of nan Süper Lig’s large hitters – Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş and Trabzonspor – person viewed officiating decisions pinch suspicion that has suffocated nan game’s atmosphere, starring to nan illness of nationalist spot successful referees and nan shot authorities.

Every debatable penalty, bizarre video adjunct referee determination aliases arguable reddish paper added to nan unit and was regarded arsenic grounds of manipulation. Everything spilled complete successful 2011 during nan country’s astir caller awesome match-fixing ungraded and nan suspicion has been escalating since.

In 2015 erstwhile nan Fenerbahçe squad autobus was changeable astatine by chartless gunmen – almost forcing it disconnected a cliff – nan nine linked nan onslaught to pervasive hostility related to match-fixing allegations that had agelong swirled astir them.

That twelvemonth Hacıosmanoğlu, nan Trabzonspor president astatine nan time, was truthful incensed by a refereeing determination that he locked nan officials successful nan stadium overnight, releasing them only aft an involution from nan country’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

In 2023 Faruk Koca, nan past MKE Ankaragücü president, stormed connected to nan transportation against Rizespor and punched nan referee, Halil Umut Meler, successful nan face. Distrust successful referees reached nan constituent wherever nan Dutch referee Danny Makkelie was appointed to nan Galatasaray-Fenerbahçe derby this twelvemonth successful an effort to pacify some sides

MKE Ankaragucu’s president, Faruk Koca, punches nan referee Halil Umut Meler. Photograph: Emin Sansar/Anadolu/Getty Images

The constitution spent years dismissing nan civilization of suspicion arsenic chaotic conspiracy, exacerbating nan distrust. The TFF was agelong perceived arsenic nan guidelines of nan problem but Hacıosmanoğlu’s consequence to nan investigation was clear.

“We judge we will win connected this way to cleanable football,” he said. “We are alert that this is simply a agelong and difficult path. However, each evening has its morning. The sun will surely emergence aft nan darkness. Our work is to elevate Turkish shot to its rightful spot and to purge it of each its filth.”

The consequences of nan country’s astir fierce shot clean-out person been contiguous and sweeping. The TFF has suspended 149 referees and adjunct referees and introduced an AI-enhanced VAR servants of nan state and a whistleblower hotline successful nan conflict against match-fixing.

But nan nett has been formed wider than ever. The Istanbul main nationalist prosecutor’s agency has opened a criminal investigation, issuing detention orders for 21 individuals, including nine executives. Murat Özkaya, nan chair of nan Süper Lig broadside Eyüpspor, was among those arrested. And successful nan astir melodramatic move, nan TFF suspended much than 1,000 players crossed various leagues for alleged betting violations.

The TFF’s master shot disciplinary committee (PFDK) announced that 102 master footballers from nan apical 2 tiers had been suspended, pinch punishments ranging from 45 days to 1 year, for violating rules prohibiting betting connected matches. This group includes 25 Süper Lig players.

The punishments did not spare nan elite clubs, aliases moreover nan nationalist team. The Galatasaray and Turkey defender Eren Elmalı was handed a 45-day suspension. He stated connected societal media that his betting activity occurred 5 years agone connected a lucifer that did not impact his squad astatine nan clip and he pointed to a youthful misunderstanding of nan rules. His clubmate Metehan Baltacı, a Turkey Under-21 centre-back, received a nine-month ban.

Fenerbahçe’s squad autobus was changeable astatine successful 2015. Photograph: Hakan Burak Altuno/Anadolu/Getty Images

As portion of nan criminal investigation much than 1,000 players crossed each leagues were referred for inquiry. The TFF has unopen down nan 3rd and 4th divisions for 2 weeks to negociate nan fallout, while nan apical 2 leagues proceed pinch depleted squads.

Hacıosmanoğlu’s TFF has drawn a statement successful nan sand, signalling an extremity to nan civilization of impunity that has plagued nan athletics for decades. Provided it sees this investigation done to nan end, it could bring nan extremist alteration Turkey’s shot needs. A genuine clean-up is nan only measurement to displacement fans’ power distant from resentment toward nan constitution and backmost to nan pitch, allowing them to judge successful a adjacent title again.

“Football is much than athletics – it is unity, pridefulness and peace,” Hacıosmanoğlu said. “We will guidelines patient against thing that darkens this joy. The deserving will ever win.”