By Tom Burrows
-The Athletic
Nov. 12, 2025
Updated 3:42 am EST
Turkish football was already reeling from the betting scandal that implicated hundreds of their match officials last month.
Now, it is the turn of the players to be at the centre of the storm, after 1,024 of them were suspended by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) as part of the same investigation.
In a statement, the TFF said the players were found to have participated in betting activities and had been referred to its Professional Football Disciplinary Board.
The Athletic breaks down the latest developments, and what the implications could be.
What happened on Monday?
In its press statement, the TFF said it had suspended 1,024 players as part of an investigation into betting in professional football leagues.
The list, which the TFF published as a PDF file on its official website, included 27 players who represent clubs in the Super Lig, Turkey’s top division.
Those 27 were spread across 14 of the 18 top-flight teams, including two at current champions Galatasaray. Alanyaspor had four, plus two each from Besiktas, Konyaspor, Kayserispor, Caykur Rizespor, Gaziantep, Goztepe, Kasimpasa, Trabzonspor and Fatih Karagumruk, and one apiece at Antalyaspor, Eyupspor and Samsunspor.
The remaining 997 were made up of players from the lower divisions of Turkish football, including the 1. Lig, 2. Lig and 3. Lig — its second, third and fourth tiers.
The TFF also announced that while the Super Lig and 1. Lig will continue as usual, fixtures in the two divisions below have been postponed for two weeks.
Are high-profile players involved?
Yes. Perhaps the best known is 25-year-old Eren Elmali, a defender for Galatasaray who has featured in all four of the Istanbul club’s Champions League games this season, including the 1-0 win against Liverpool in September. He has played 20 times for Turkey’s national team and was in their squad for the World Cup qualifying matches over the coming week against Bulgaria and Spain, but got stood down when the allegations came to light.
“I want to make it clear that the reason my name appears in this file is because, about five years ago, a bet was placed on a match involving my former team, without my knowledge or involvement,” Elmali wrote in an Instagram story post. “Since that day, I have had no connection whatsoever to betting or this issue.”
Another player implicated was Celil Yuksel, a 27-year-old midfielder who started out in the youth ranks at Galatasaray but now plays for Samsunspor.
He wrote on Instagram: “I have full faith that Turkish justice will prevail. The accusations made against me are unlawful, and I deeply regret that my career has been affected in this way. I would like to state that I will pursue my right of defence through all legal means available.”
The Besiktas players named are 24-year-old backup goalkeeper Ersin Destanoglu and long-serving midfielder Necip Uysal, 34, who has been capped once by Turkey.
On X, Destanoglu wrote how the allegations made against him were “completely baseless, unfounded and untrue.” He added: “I will not allow myself to be judged in the public eye based on these defamatory and baseless accusations; I will exercise all legal rights granted to me by law to the fullest extent.”
Meanwhile, Uysal said in a statement, that was reported by Turkish media: “In my entire life, I’ve never even gone near betting, I’ve never downloaded a betting app on my phone, I don’t have any membership or account anywhere. An account was opened on a betting site using my Turkish ID number, without my knowledge. Through that account, two bets were placed using a bonus coupon — but I did not open that account, and I did not play those bets.”
What are the clubs saying?
In addition to the players’ responses, a handful of Super Lig teams have issued statements.
“We have full faith in the innocence of both of our footballers,” Besiktas said. “Initiatives will be promptly undertaken on our part with the TFF. The footballers in question will also apply to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office tomorrow morning to lodge their legal objections.”
In their statement, Galatasaray said: “This sensitive process is being meticulously followed by our club. Our wish is that this entire process concludes in the most accurate and equitable manner, without harming the personal rights of our footballers and the brand value of Turkish football.
“As we emphasised in our previous statements, our struggle on this issue is an uncompromising matter in terms of the reliability and reputation of football. Our club is closely monitoring the details of the incident and awaits the completion of the process for justice to be served in the most accurate way.”
Elsewhere, Samsunspor said they were a club “that acts in accordance with the principles of justice, integrity, and fair play”, while in their statements Konyaspor and Fatih Karagumruk said they hoped the principles of justice would be upheld during the investigation process.
Is anyone else implicated in this investigation?
Very much so. These revelations around players follow the news on October 27 that hundreds of match officials in Turkey had been accused of betting on the sport over a five-year period, dating back to 2020.
TFF president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu detailed at a press conference that 371 of the current active 571 match officials in Turkish football had betting accounts. Of those 371, it was revealed that 152 actively gamble, with Haciosmanoglu telling reporters one official had wagered 18,277 times and a further 10 referees had placed more than 10,000 bets each. He added that seven referees and 15 assistant referees who were actively making bets officiated in Turkey’s top two divisions.
“To get Turkish football back to where it belongs, we need to clean up whatever filth there is,” he announced at the press conference.
Four days later, on October 31, it was announced that 149 match officials had been suspended. The bans range between eight and 12 months, while investigations continue into three referees.
In recent years, refereeing has become an increasingly hot topic in Turkey, with frequent accusations of bias made against match officials. Most notoriously, in December 2023, referee Halil Umut Meler was punched in the face by Ankaragucu’s club president Faruk Koca at the end of a game. That incident led to the suspension of all Super Lig football.
Are there any other investigations ongoing?
Yes. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has been looking into allegations of potential match-fixing since April this year. Another investigation carried out by the Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office was combined with the Istanbul one.
On November 7, it was reported by Reuters — citing the country’s state-owned Anadolu news agency — that Turkish authorities had issued detention orders for 21 people, including 17 referees and a club chairman. Four days later, Reuters — again citing local media reports — reported eight people, including the chairman of a prominent Turkish club, had been arrested.
The Athletic has contacted the team in question for comment but had received no response at the time of publication.
What are the rules around players betting on football?
As The Athletic previously explained, world football governing body FIFA’s code of ethics, which applies to officials, players and nearly all participants in the game, outlines that they are “forbidden from participating in, either directly or indirectly, betting, gambling, lotteries or similar events or transactions related to football matches or competitions and/or any related football activities.”
Under Article 27, those who break the code risk a minimum penalty of 100,000 Swiss francs (
-The Athletic
Nov. 12, 2025
Updated 3:42 am EST
Turkish football was already reeling from the betting scandal that implicated hundreds of their match officials last month.
Now, it is the turn of the players to be at the centre of the storm, after 1,024 of them were suspended by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) as part of the same investigation.
In a statement, the TFF said the players were found to have participated in betting activities and had been referred to its Professional Football Disciplinary Board.
The Athletic breaks down the latest developments, and what the implications could be.
What happened on Monday?
In its press statement, the TFF said it had suspended 1,024 players as part of an investigation into betting in professional football leagues.
The list, which the TFF published as a PDF file on its official website, included 27 players who represent clubs in the Super Lig, Turkey’s top division.
Those 27 were spread across 14 of the 18 top-flight teams, including two at current champions Galatasaray. Alanyaspor had four, plus two each from Besiktas, Konyaspor, Kayserispor, Caykur Rizespor, Gaziantep, Goztepe, Kasimpasa, Trabzonspor and Fatih Karagumruk, and one apiece at Antalyaspor, Eyupspor and Samsunspor.
The remaining 997 were made up of players from the lower divisions of Turkish football, including the 1. Lig, 2. Lig and 3. Lig — its second, third and fourth tiers.
The TFF also announced that while the Super Lig and 1. Lig will continue as usual, fixtures in the two divisions below have been postponed for two weeks.
Are high-profile players involved?
Yes. Perhaps the best known is 25-year-old Eren Elmali, a defender for Galatasaray who has featured in all four of the Istanbul club’s Champions League games this season, including the 1-0 win against Liverpool in September. He has played 20 times for Turkey’s national team and was in their squad for the World Cup qualifying matches over the coming week against Bulgaria and Spain, but got stood down when the allegations came to light.
“I want to make it clear that the reason my name appears in this file is because, about five years ago, a bet was placed on a match involving my former team, without my knowledge or involvement,” Elmali wrote in an Instagram story post. “Since that day, I have had no connection whatsoever to betting or this issue.”
Another player implicated was Celil Yuksel, a 27-year-old midfielder who started out in the youth ranks at Galatasaray but now plays for Samsunspor.
He wrote on Instagram: “I have full faith that Turkish justice will prevail. The accusations made against me are unlawful, and I deeply regret that my career has been affected in this way. I would like to state that I will pursue my right of defence through all legal means available.”
The Besiktas players named are 24-year-old backup goalkeeper Ersin Destanoglu and long-serving midfielder Necip Uysal, 34, who has been capped once by Turkey.
On X, Destanoglu wrote how the allegations made against him were “completely baseless, unfounded and untrue.” He added: “I will not allow myself to be judged in the public eye based on these defamatory and baseless accusations; I will exercise all legal rights granted to me by law to the fullest extent.”
Meanwhile, Uysal said in a statement, that was reported by Turkish media: “In my entire life, I’ve never even gone near betting, I’ve never downloaded a betting app on my phone, I don’t have any membership or account anywhere. An account was opened on a betting site using my Turkish ID number, without my knowledge. Through that account, two bets were placed using a bonus coupon — but I did not open that account, and I did not play those bets.”
What are the clubs saying?
In addition to the players’ responses, a handful of Super Lig teams have issued statements.
“We have full faith in the innocence of both of our footballers,” Besiktas said. “Initiatives will be promptly undertaken on our part with the TFF. The footballers in question will also apply to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office tomorrow morning to lodge their legal objections.”
In their statement, Galatasaray said: “This sensitive process is being meticulously followed by our club. Our wish is that this entire process concludes in the most accurate and equitable manner, without harming the personal rights of our footballers and the brand value of Turkish football.
“As we emphasised in our previous statements, our struggle on this issue is an uncompromising matter in terms of the reliability and reputation of football. Our club is closely monitoring the details of the incident and awaits the completion of the process for justice to be served in the most accurate way.”
Elsewhere, Samsunspor said they were a club “that acts in accordance with the principles of justice, integrity, and fair play”, while in their statements Konyaspor and Fatih Karagumruk said they hoped the principles of justice would be upheld during the investigation process.
Is anyone else implicated in this investigation?
Very much so. These revelations around players follow the news on October 27 that hundreds of match officials in Turkey had been accused of betting on the sport over a five-year period, dating back to 2020.
TFF president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu detailed at a press conference that 371 of the current active 571 match officials in Turkish football had betting accounts. Of those 371, it was revealed that 152 actively gamble, with Haciosmanoglu telling reporters one official had wagered 18,277 times and a further 10 referees had placed more than 10,000 bets each. He added that seven referees and 15 assistant referees who were actively making bets officiated in Turkey’s top two divisions.
“To get Turkish football back to where it belongs, we need to clean up whatever filth there is,” he announced at the press conference.
Four days later, on October 31, it was announced that 149 match officials had been suspended. The bans range between eight and 12 months, while investigations continue into three referees.
In recent years, refereeing has become an increasingly hot topic in Turkey, with frequent accusations of bias made against match officials. Most notoriously, in December 2023, referee Halil Umut Meler was punched in the face by Ankaragucu’s club president Faruk Koca at the end of a game. That incident led to the suspension of all Super Lig football.
Are there any other investigations ongoing?
Yes. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has been looking into allegations of potential match-fixing since April this year. Another investigation carried out by the Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office was combined with the Istanbul one.
On November 7, it was reported by Reuters — citing the country’s state-owned Anadolu news agency — that Turkish authorities had issued detention orders for 21 people, including 17 referees and a club chairman. Four days later, Reuters — again citing local media reports — reported eight people, including the chairman of a prominent Turkish club, had been arrested.
The Athletic has contacted the team in question for comment but had received no response at the time of publication.
What are the rules around players betting on football?
As The Athletic previously explained, world football governing body FIFA’s code of ethics, which applies to officials, players and nearly all participants in the game, outlines that they are “forbidden from participating in, either directly or indirectly, betting, gambling, lotteries or similar events or transactions related to football matches or competitions and/or any related football activities.”
Under Article 27, those who break the code risk a minimum penalty of 100,000 Swiss francs (