Timeline
As claimed by Türkiye newspaper journalist Tahir Kum the investigation was initially launched following suspicious bets placed on the match between Ankaraspor and Nazillispor. Kum stated in the news headline, "This incident began with the match between Ankaraspor and Nazillispor, and the high volume of betting on that match." On 11 September 2025, roughly 1.5 years after the match in which no shots were taken, the TFF imposed bans on two club presidents and 18 footballers after conducting an investigation. [9] [10] [11]
The audit performed by the Turkish Football Federation, which was made public on October 27, 2025, reported widespread betting activity among referees, raising concerns about compliance with integrity rules. This audit included all 571 professional referees currently officiating in Turkey from every level of the sport. From this audit, it was revealed that 371, or 65%, of the active professional referees held registered betting accounts, which is a direct violation of FIFA and UEFA rules stating that referees are prohibited from any gambling, and simply having a betting account is a violation. [1]
Of these, 152 referees were found to have actively placed bets on football matches. This included both domestic competitions, like the Süper Lig and lower-tier Turkish leagues, and international fixtures. Among the implicated officials, seven were elite main referees from the Süper Lig, 15 were elite assistant referees, 36 were regional main referees, and 94 were regional assistant referees. [2] [4]
Hacıosmanoğlu described the findings as severe and indicative of long-standing governance issues. In extreme cases, ten referees placed over 10,000 bets each, with one referee making 18,227 bets. Furthermore, 42 referees were found to have placed more than 1,000 wagers specifically on football matches. [12]
Hacıosmanoğlu described the issue as a "deep-rooted problem" in Turkish football. He stressed a commitment to "clean up what is dirty" through strict measures. Under the TFF Disciplinary Code Article 57, gambling violations lead to penalties of three months to one-year bans. However, FIFA and UEFA are expected to impose harsher punishments due to the scandal's extent and its threat to the sport's integrity. Further on, Hacıosmanoğlu announced a plans for a referee training program emphasizing ethical compliance, enhanced oversight mechanisms, such as real-time monitoring of referee financial activities and collaboration with law enforcement to investigate potential match-fixing linked to betting patterns.
Approximately 5 hours later Hacıosmanoğlu's press conference, journalist Murat Ağırel claimed on social media that MHK President Ferhat Gündoğdu had an active betting account. [13] Further more, Kum claimed that a club president placed 3,057 bets and won 476 times, a masseur placed 2,399 bets and won 329 times, a footballer placed 1,950 bets and won 340 times, while another footballer and coaching staff members were found to have placed bets 15,987 times and won 3,138 times. [9]
A day later, on 28 October, TFF and took disciplinary action against the 152 referees, referring them to the Professional Football Discipline Board (PFDK). 7 top flight main referees along the 152 were Zorbay Küçük, Egemen Artun, Mehmet Ali Özer, Melih Kurt, Muhammed Selim Özbek, Seyfettin Alper Yılmaz and Yunus Dursun. [14]
Among the 7, Yunus Dursun and Egemen Artun were each given a 10-month ban, while Muhammed Selim Özbek, Mehmet Ali Özer and Seyfettin Alper Yılmaz were each given an 8-month ban. It was also decided to continue the investigation into the allegations of betting activities involving top-tier referees Zorbay Küçük and Melih Kurt and lower-tier referee Mertcan Tubay. [15] The remaining 144 referees officiating in lower divisions were all punished with 8 to 12 month bans; due to these penalties exceeding 45 days, the refereeing rights of the 144 referees and 5 Süper Lig elite level referees were terminated. [15] [16]
Küçük's lawyer argued that two fake betting accounts had been opened in the referee's name and that his identity details had been stolen by a foreign individual. Küçük stated that he had never been a member of a betting site or placed any bets, either before or during his refereeing career. [17] [18]
On 31 October, during a political rally in Esenyurt, Republican People's Party (CHP) Chair Özgür Özel claimed that the red card shown to Göztepe player in a Süper Lig match against an undisclosed team was "unfairly issued" and correlated with a substantial bet. Özel asserted that 5.5 million Turkish Lira was wagered on the red card from Northern Cyprus on the same day. Subsequently, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an ex officio investigation on 31 October 2025 into the claims of illegal betting and potential match manipulation related to the match. [19]
On 1 November, Beşiktaş announced that the club has applied to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office to participate as a party in the investigation. [20]
On 6 November, the 152 suspended referees issued a collective statement vehemently denying that they ever placed bets on matches they officiated. They admitted some had participated in online betting years ago, during their amateur days, also accusing the federation of turning them into scapegoats in a politically charged operation. [21]
On 7 November, a detention order was issued for a total of 21 individuals, 17 referees and the president of Süper Lig side Eyüpspor Murat Özkaya, former Kasımpaşa owner and fugitive Turgay Ciner and former club president Fatih Saraç whose terms ended on 30 September 2025, following a trustee appointment by the Turkish government. [22] Saraç was released after his statement was taken. [23]
On 10 November, eight suspects, including Eyüpspor Club President Özkaya and six referees, were arrested, while 11 suspects were released under judicial supervision. [24]
On the same day, TFF announced that 1,024 footballers were referred to the PFDK on the grounds of betting, among the 1,024, 27 were Super League players; while the other players referred were 77 from the First League, 282 from the Second League, 629 from the Third League, and 9 from amateur leagues. [25] [26]
Due to the scale of the situation, the TFF announced that it had decided to postpone the fixtures for the Second and Third Leagues by two weeks to allow clubs to fill their squad gaps, while matches in the Süper Lig and First League would continue as previously announced. [25] [26]
27 Süper Lig footballers along the 1,024 were Beşiktaş's Necip Uysal and Ersin Destanoğlu, Alanyaspor's İzzet Çelik, Enes Keskin, Yusuf Özdemir and Bedirhan Özyurt, Rizespor's Efe Doğan and Furkan Orak, Galatasaray's Metehan Baltacı and Eren Elmalı, Gaziantep FK's Muhammet Taha Güneş and Nazım Sangare, Göztepe's Furkan Malak and Uğur Kaan Yıldız, Antalyaspor's Kerem Kayaarası, Eyüpspor's Mükremin Arda Türköz, Kasımpaşa's Ege Albayrak and Ali Emre Yanar, Fatih Karagümrük's Furkan Bekleviç and Kerem Yusuf Sirkeci, Samsunspor's Celil Yüksel, Trabzonspor's Boran Başkan and Salih Malkoçoğlu, Konyaspor's Adil Demirbağ and Alassane Ndao and Kayserispor's Berkan Aslan, Abdulsamet Burak. [25] [26]
Due to his involvement, Elmalı was removed from Türkiye's squad and Trabzonspor player Mustafa Eskihellaç was included in the squad as his replacement. In addition to Elmalı's removal from the senior squad, İzzet Çelik was dropped from the under-21 team and Ege Albayrak from the under-19 squad. [27] [28]
Beşiktaş players Necip Uysal and goalkeeper Ersin Destanoğlu, denied the betting allegations and filed a criminal complaint on 11 November on the grounds that their identity information had been used. Destanoğlu stated, "Our federation shared our names without contacting us first, attempting to tarnish our reputations." Uysal also claimed that a betting account had been opened using his Turkish ID number.
Elmalı, admitted to betting on a game about five years ago that did not involve his own team. [29]
On the programme "Kale Arkası" broadcast on TV100, journalist Haluk Yürekli claimed that Baltacı had placed 1,600 bets within the period when he was on loan at Eyüpspor. Baltacı, admitted to betting 1,600 times on games that did not involve his own team. [30]
On 13 November, PFDK imposed bans ranging from 45 days to 12 months on 102 footballers. Abdulsamet Burak from Kayserispor and Alassane Ndao from Konyaspor received the longest possible penalties of 12 months each, while Metehan Baltacı from Galatasaray and Yusuf Özdemir from Alanyaspor received 9-month bans; İzzet Çelik from Alanyaspor, Enes Keskin, Bedirhan Özyurt and Furkan Orak from Rizespor, Kerem Yusuf Sirkeci from Fatih Karagümrük, Berkan Aslan from Kayserispor and Boran Başkan from Trabzonspor received three-month bans, while the other 12 Süper Lig players received 45-day bans. [31] [32]
On 16 November, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office announced that the investigation could be expanded, and stated that referees' foreign contacts were being investigated and that financial analyses, technical monitoring and digital investigations were being carried out to prevent the laundering of criminal proceeds. [33]
