Turkish Authorities Arrest Eight People And Suspend 1,024 Players In Betting Investigation

Turkish authorities formally arrested 8 people, including a top-tier nine chairman, connected Monday arsenic portion of an investigation into alleged betting connected shot matches. The Turkish shot federation (TFF) has besides suspended 1,024 players pending disciplinary investigations.

The TFF suspended 149 referees and adjunct referees earlier this month, aft an investigation recovered officials moving successful nan country’s master leagues were betting connected shot matches.

Turkey’s state-owned Anadolu news agency reported that a tribunal had ruled to apprehension nan Eyupspor chairman, Murat Ozkaya, and 7 others arsenic portion of nan investigation. Eyupspor, who play successful nan top-tier Turkish Super Lig, were not instantly disposable to comment.

In a statement, nan TFF said it had sent 1,024 players from each leagues to nan Professional Football Disciplinary Council (PFDK) arsenic portion of nan investigation, including 27 players from nan Super Lig, who person each been suspended. Among those 27 were players from champions Galatasaray and Istanbul rivals Besiktas, among others.

“Due to nan precautionary transportation of 1,024 shot players to nan PFDK, negotiations person been initiated urgently pinch Fifa to assistance a 15-day transportation and registration play successful summation to nan 2025-2026 wintertime transportation period, only astatine nan nationalist level, successful bid for clubs to complete their squad deficiencies,” nan TFF said.

It besides said matches successful nan 2nd and third-tier leagues were suspended for 2 weeks, while section media said nan TFF committee would clasp an bonzer gathering astatine 2pm (GMT) connected Tuesday.

Football’s world governing body, Fifa, did not instantly respond to a Reuters petition for remark connected nan investigation and nan TFF’s petition for a 15-day transportation window.

The TFF president, Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu has described nan business arsenic a “moral situation successful Turkish football”. Its ain investigation revealed that 371 of 571 progressive referees successful Turkey’s master leagues had betting accounts, and 152 of them were actively gambling.

One referee had placed bets 18,227 times and 42 referees had stake connected much than 1,000 shot matches each. Others were recovered to person stake only once.