Crystal Dike
Turkey’s Istanbul Public Prosecutor’s Office on Friday ordered the arrest of 46 people, including 29 footballers, in a sweeping investigation into illegal betting on Turkish matches.
In a statement, prosecutors said 27 of the players are suspected of betting on matches involving their own teams, in which they actively participated.
The crackdown follows earlier developments in the probe. In early November, authorities confirmed that 18 people were being held in connection with an investigation into referees suspected of betting on football matches. A week earlier, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) had suspended 149 referees accused of involvement in betting activities.
On Friday, the TFF announced that its disciplinary committee had imposed suspensions ranging from eight to 12 months on several officials implicated in the scandal, adding that investigations remain ongoing into three additional referees.
According to the federation, a review of 571 referees across Turkey’s professional leagues revealed that 371 had opened sports-betting accounts, while 152 were confirmed to have placed wagers.
Among those named was Galatasaray defender Metehan Baltacı, who had already received a nine-month ban earlier this month for his role in the scandal.
The crisis deepened on November 10, when six referees were placed in pre-trial detention, alongside the president of Eyüpspor, a Super Lig club.
Prosecutors did not disclose the identities of the other 26 players accused of betting on their own matches, but confirmed that Fenerbahçe midfielder Mert Hakan Yandaş allegedly placed wagers using another person’s betting account.
Police have so far detained 35 of the 46 suspects named in the arrest warrants, while five individuals are believed to be outside the country.
The warrants also target two club presidents accused of attempting to manipulate the result of a third-division match during the 2023–2024 season. Turkish media reported that the game raised red flags after neither team attempted a single shot on goal, a detail that prompted a wider investigation.
To date, the TFF has issued suspensions to more than 1,000 players nationwide, including 25 Super Lig players. Sanctions range from 45-day bans to one-year suspensions.
Only one foreign player, Konyaspor’s Senegalese winger Alassane Ndao, has so far been sanctioned, receiving a 12-month ban. More than 900 of the punished players compete in Turkey’s third and fourth divisions.