Betting scandal rocks Turkish football as 102 players banned. What we know so far

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has handed down bans to 102 players across the top two divisions of Turkish football for their involvement in betting-related activities. The bans vary in length, ranging from three months to a year. Among the notable players affected are Eren Elmali and Metehan Baltaci of Galatasaray.

Elmali received a 45-day suspension, while Baltaci faces a nine-month ban. These sanctions, issued by the Professional Football Disciplinary Board (PFDK), are final once the seven-day appeal period concludes. This action follows a significant investigation into betting within Turkish football, during which the TFF temporarily suspended 1,024 players from the professional leagues. As a result, matches in Turkey’s third and fourth divisions were also postponed for two weeks.

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Elmali defended himself on Instagram, explaining that his name appeared in the investigation due to a past match involving his former team where a bet was placed without his knowledge or involvement. He emphasised that since then, he has had no connection to betting. The investigation first became public on October 27, when TFF president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu revealed that hundreds of referees were also implicated in betting activities. Out of 571 referees working in Turkish professional leagues, 371 had betting accounts, and 152 were actively placing bets. Some referees had placed thousands of bets, with one having bet on more than 18,000 matches.

In addition to players and coaches, match officials are prohibited from engaging in betting activities by both TFF and international governing bodies like FIFA and UEFA. As part of the ongoing investigation, Turkish prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for 21 individuals, including 17 referees and two football club presidents. Murat Ozkaya, the chairman of Super Lig club Eyupspor, is among those arrested, along with six referees and another individual.