Turkish football has been plunged deeper into crisis as the Istanbul public prosecutor’s office announced on Friday that arrest warrants have been issued for 46 individuals, including 29 professional players, in connection with a widening investigation into illegal betting on domestic matches.
According to the prosecutor’s statement, 27 of the implicated players are suspected of wagering on games involving their own clubs, with some allegedly placing bets on matches in which they took part.
The latest development follows a series of revelations that have rocked the sport in Turkey. Earlier in November, authorities disclosed that 18 people had been detained over suspicions that referees placed bets on football fixtures. Just days before, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) suspended 149 referees for alleged involvement in betting activities.
The TFF confirmed that its disciplinary committee has since handed down suspensions ranging from eight to 12 months for several officials linked to the scandal, while investigations remain ongoing involving three more referees. The federation revealed that an extensive audit of 571 referees across Turkey’s leagues found that 371 had opened sports-betting accounts and 152 had actually placed bets.
Among the latest names cited by the federation is Metehan Baltacı of defending champions Galatasaray, who had previously been hit with a nine-month ban earlier in the month.
The controversy has continued to escalate. On November 10, six referees were placed in pre-trial detention, alongside the president of Super Lig club Eyüpspor. Prosecutors have not released the full list of the 26 other players suspected of betting on matches involving their own teams, but confirmed that Fenerbahçe midfielder Mert Hakan Yandaş allegedly placed wagers through a third party’s account.
Police have so far apprehended 35 of the 46 individuals named in the arrest orders, while five suspects are believed to have fled the country. The warrants also include two club presidents accused of attempting to influence the outcome of a third-division game in the 2023–2024 season—an encounter that drew scrutiny after neither side recorded a single shot on target, prompting the broader investigation.
The scandal has resulted in sweeping disciplinary action across Turkish football. More than 1,000 players nationwide have been sanctioned, including 25 from the top-tier Super Lig, with penalties varying from 45-day bans to suspensions lasting a full year.
Only one foreign player, Konyaspor’s Senegalese winger Alassane Ndao, was penalised, receiving a 12-month ban. The vast majority of those punished—over 900—are drawn from Turkey’s third and fourth divisions.
