Turkey Football Betting Scandal: 46 Arrested as Match-Fixing Probe Widens

Turkey Football Betting Scandal: 46 Arrested as Match-Fixing Probe Widens

The Istanbul public prosecutor’s office has announced the arrest of 46 individuals, including 29 football players, in a rapidly expanding probe into illegal betting in Turkish football. The sweeping investigation has rocked the Turkish Super Lig and lower divisions, raising serious concerns over match integrity and widespread corruption.

According to prosecutors, 27 of the arrested players are suspected of placing bets on matches involving their own teams—games in which they actively participated. The arrests mark the latest escalation in Turkey’s unprecedented betting scandal.

The investigation intensified in early November when prosecutors confirmed the detention of 18 individuals, including referees accused of wagering on professional matches. A week earlier, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) sanctioned 149 referees for betting violations.

The TFF’s disciplinary committee has since imposed bans ranging from eight to twelve months on numerous officials. The federation disclosed that a sweeping integrity survey of 571 referees revealed that 371 had opened betting accounts and 152 had placed bets. Investigations into three referees remain ongoing.

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Among those disciplined is Metehan Baltacı of reigning champions Galatasaray, who recently received a nine-month suspension. Meanwhile, prosecutors allege that Fenerbahçe midfielder Mert Hakan Yandaş placed bets through another person’s account, though his identity was not officially included among the 26 unnamed players under investigation.

The scandal continues to send shockwaves through Turkish football. On November 10, six referees and the president of Eyüpspor, a Turkish Super Lig club, were placed in pre-trial detention.

Authorities confirmed that 35 of the 46 suspects named in arrest warrants have been apprehended, while five are believed to have fled the country. The warrants also target two club presidents accused of attempting to manipulate the outcome of a third-division match during the 2023–2024 season—a fixture widely questioned after both teams failed to register a single shot on target.

To date, the TFF has suspended over 1,000 players nationwide, including 25 from the Super Lig. Punishments range from 45-day bans to year-long suspensions. Only one foreign player—the Senegalese winger Alassane Ndao of Konyaspor—received a 12-month ban. More than 900 of those sanctioned compete in the third and fourth divisions.

The deepening scandal underscores the severity of illegal betting networks operating within Turkish football and signals that further arrests and sanctions may follow as investigations continue.

Turkey Football Betting Scandal: 46 Arrested as Match-Fixing Probe Widens