Turkish authorities arrest eight people and suspend 1,024 players in betting scandal

Turkish football rocked by investigations into alleged widespread betting by referees and players on games

Turkish authorities on Monday formally arrested eight people, including a top-tier club chairman, in a probe into alleged betting on soccer matches, while the football federation (TFF) suspended 1,024 players pending disciplinary investigations.

The moves come after the TFF earlier this month suspended 149 referees and assistant referees after an investigation found that the officials working in the country's professional leagues were betting on football matches.

Matches in the third and fourth divisions of Turkish football have been postponed for two weeks, although games in the country's top two divisions will continue.

In a statement, the TFF said it had sent 1,024 players from all leagues to the Professional Football Disciplinary Council (PFDK) as part of the investigation, including 27 players from the top-tier Super Lig, who have all been suspended.

Among those 27 were players from champions Galatasaray and Istanbul rivals Besiktas, among others, including Turkey defender Eren Elmali who has been a Champions League regular for Galatasaray this season.

Elmali published a statement late Monday to explain his involvement in the case after he was pulled from the Turkey squad preparing to play World Cup qualifying games against Spain and Bulgaria.

The 25-year-old Elmali posted on Instagram that he bet on a game about five years ago that did not involve his own team. He joined Galatasaray this year.

"Due to the precautionary transfer of 1,024 football players to the PFDK, negotiations have been initiated urgently with FIFA to grant a 15-day transfer and registration period in addition to the 2025-2026 winter transfer period, only at the national level, in order for clubs to complete their squad deficiencies," the TFF said.

It also said matches in the second and third-tier leagues were suspended for two weeks, while local media said the TFF board would hold an extraordinary meeting at 1400 GMT on Tuesday.

Soccer's world governing body FIFA did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the probe and the TFF request for a 15-day transfer window.

TFF President Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu has described the situation as a "moral crisis in Turkish football".

Its own investigation revealed that 371 of 571 active referees in Turkey's professional leagues had betting accounts, and 152 of them were actively gambling.

One referee had bet 18,227 times and 42 referees had bet on more than 1,000 football matches each. Others were found to have bet only once.