Turkey Rocked by Mass Suspensions in Betting Scandal

Turkish football is reeling after the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) suspended 1 024 players and 149 referees in an escalating investigation into illegal betting that has reached the highest levels of the game.

Among those named is Eren Elmali, a Galatasaray defender and Turkish international, who recently admitted on Instagram to placing a single bet about five years ago on a match that did not involve his team.

He and teammate Metehan Baltaci are among several Super Lig players who have been referred to the Professional Football Disciplinary Council.

The fallout has seen eight people arrested, including Eyupspor chairman Murat Ozkaya, while lower-league fixtures have been suspended for two weeks. The TFF has requested a 15-day extension to the winter transfer window from FIFA, allowing clubs to replace suspended players.

TFF president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu has called the scandal a “moral crisis in Turkish football”, vowing to “purge it of all its filth.”

The revelations come as Turkish football experiences a resurgence, with the national team reaching the Euro 2024 quarter-finals and the country is expected to co-host the Euro 2032 competition alongside Italy.

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