Prosecutors Order Arrest Of 29 Footballers, Others Over Match-Betting In Turkey

Istanbul prosecutors, on Friday, ordered the arrest of 46 individuals, among them 29 professional football players, in a sweeping investigation into illegal betting on Turkish football matches.

According to a statement from the public prosecutor’s office, 27 of the arrested players were suspected of betting on matches involving their own teams, a development that has deepened concerns over integrity in Turkish football.

One of those implicated is Metehan Baltacı of reigning champions Galatasaray, who was handed a nine-month suspension earlier this month over the betting scandal.

The investigation, which has already rattled the country’s football establishment, saw six referees placed in pre-trial detention on November 10, along with the president of Eyüpspor, a top-tier Super Lig club.

Although prosecutors did not release the names of the other 26 players accused of betting on their own teams, they confirmed that Mert Hakan Yandaş of Fenerbahçe placed bets through a third party’s account.

Authorities said police had detained 35 of the 46 suspects, while five others were believed to be abroad.

The arrest order also targeted two club presidents accused of “attempting to influence the outcome” of a third-division match during the 2023–2024 season. Turkish media reported that the match first drew investigators’ attention because neither team attempted a single shot on goal, sparking suspicions that eventually led to the broader probe.

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has already suspended over 1,000 players, including 25 from the Super Lig, with penalties ranging from 45 days to 12 months. Only one of those sanctioned is a foreign player, Alassane Ndao, a Senegalese winger for Konyaspor, who received a 12-month ban.

The vast majority of suspensions, more than 900, involved players from the third and fourth divisions.

In October, the TFF also suspended nearly 150 referees for betting-related offences, even as all have since been dismissed.