TFF head Ibrahim Hadjiosmanoglu is intransigent in the fight for 'clean soccer'
The large-scale scandal was caused by the results of the investigation, which has been underway since 2020. Within its framework, the accounts of referees and soccer players in bookmakers’ offices were checked against state databases. For five years, the facts of involvement of 152 referees who took active actions in the betting were confirmed. It was proved that more than 40 referees made more than 1 thousand bets. One of them drew special attention by placing 18.2 thousand bets during this period, or about 10 bets per day!
TFF found out that 370 out of 570 professional referees in Turkey are active customers of bookmakers. The federation suspended 149 referees from soccer activities for a period ranging from eight months to one year. Law enforcement authorities have issued arrest warrants for 17 referees and two soccer club presidents, whose names have not been made public for the sake of the investigation. The name of only one of the detainees is known, which was Eyupspor president Murat Ozkaya. His club made it to the Super League for the first time last year and finished sixth this year. An arrest warrant was also issued for Umut Erken, the head of one of the departments of the Fanatik sports publication. They are suspected of manipulating match results. Investigators continue to check the three referees.
More than 1,000 professional footballers playing in various divisions of the Turkish championship became defendants of the “betting case”. Among them there are 27 players of Super League clubs, including the famous “Galatasaray” and “Besiktas”. Metekhan Baltaci, Eren Elmaly (both Galatasaray), former Turkish national team player Necip Uysal, Ersin Destanoğlu (both Besiktas), Salih Malkoçoğlu and Boran Başkan (both Trabzonspor) were among the players from the top division suspended pending the decision of the disciplinary committee.
The Turkiye publication reported that about 600 footballers have been summoned for questioning. According to the investigation, the players, coaches and managers made bets on Web portals of shady betting companies operating in Albania, Bulgaria and unrecognized Northern Cyprus.
The largest number of those involved are players of clubs from the fourth division – more than 600 out of 1,024 people. Almost 300 offenders play in the third division, with the remaining 200 in the second division. A number of clubs in the fourth division are in a critical situation caused by a shortage of players. In some teams, 70% of the squad is suspended.
The upcoming rounds in the third and fourth divisions have been postponed for two weeks due to the fact that many teams can not go on the field in full. The TFF has been forced to appeal to FIFA to open an additional transfer window so that clubs can quickly rectify the situation and replenish their squads.
TFF president Ibrahim Hadjiosmanoglu, who took office in July 2024, said the federation intends to “cleanse soccer of any manifestation of corruption without any exceptions.” He said the violations uncovered were the result of a “moral crisis in Turkish soccer.” “I was saddened when I saw the figures. We expected to identify 15 referees making bets, but it turned out to be 370. You don’t get penalized for registering with bookmakers – people just follow the matches. The crime is to actively play on bets – this should be punished,” he said.
The head of the federation linked the conduct of the “betting case” with the desire to bring Turkish soccer to a higher level. “Our position is clear: we always stand up for truth and justice. We will not make any concessions to protect Turkish soccer from dubiousness, corruption and machinations. We will fight to the end against those who denigrate the beautiful game and whose actions contradict the spirit and values of the sport. We are closely following the investigation being conducted by the Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office and believe that we will succeed on the road to “clean soccer” with the support of law enforcement and sports fans. We realize that it is a long and difficult road,” Haciosmanoglu was quoted by Anadolu Agency as saying.
It is the tough stance of the TFF president that explains the painstaking investigation into the referee corps and footballers. The federation is interested in conducting a transparent investigation and has therefore made public most of the names of the players involved in the “betting affair” and intends to do the same with regard to referees.
This, in particular, is insisted on by the heads of the largest Turkish clubs. Thus, 16-time champion and 11-time Turkish Cup winner Besiktas filed a statement of intent to intervene in the investigation with the Istanbul prosecutor’s office. “We have submitted a request to expand the investigation into questions regarding whether all of our soccer club’s matches in the past five seasons have been bet by referees or other suspects and whether there are actions that have harmed our club. “We have assured the Istanbul prosecutor’s office that we are ready to provide any support in the investigation,” Besiktas, whose two players are suspects, said in an official statement.
A public statement from reigning Turkish champion Galatasaray emphasized the unacceptability of damaging the reputation of Turkish soccer. “The case against two of our players has been referred to the disciplinary committee, this delicate process is being closely monitored by our club. We hope that the process will conclude in the fairest way possible and will not damage both the personal rights of our players and the brand of Turkish soccer. Our stance on protecting ethical values and fair competition has been clear since a long time ago. We look forward to the conclusion of the investigation and the restoration of justice,” the communiqué reads.
The authoritative Turkish journalist Murat Agirel, in a piece for Cumhuriyet, recalled how for years he drew public attention to the issue of the pernicious betting craze prevailing in the professional soccer community. “I have been warning everyone for years, writing books, sending complaints about those who poison our soccer. Illegal bookmakers and their anonymous accounts lynched me every time for fear of losing revenue. In May 2024, I wrote about a match between Ankaraspor and Nazilli Belediyespor. The odds for a draw were 4.25, then plummeted to 1.88. In that match, €661 was bet on the home team’s victory, €30.9k on the draw and €17 on the visitors’ victory. The match ended with the score 0:0. Do you consider this normal?” – asks the journalist.
The TFF disciplinary code states that people who are accused of betting on soccer matches face a suspension of three months to one year. This is contrary to UEFA and FIFA regulations, where the same offense leads to a lifetime suspension from soccer activities. Even in the case of suspension from international matches, referees who are proven guilty will be able to work in domestic tournaments.
The work of Turkish referees has previously been repeatedly criticized by the heads of soccer clubs, coaches and often led to scandals. In 2023, Istanbulpor president Ekmel Sarılıoğlu took his team off the field. This was his reaction to the actions of the referee, who, in his opinion, deliberately failed to see a violation of the rules in the actions of a player of a rival club. In the same year, Ankaragucu president Faruk Koja attacked referee Halil Umut Mele with fists at the end of a soccer match. Koja was sentenced to three years and seven months in prison for beating the referee.
Famous coach Jose Mourinho, who was in charge of Fenerbahce from June 2024 to August 2025, has repeatedly criticized the actions of referees in Turkey. He was outraged when a penalty was awarded in favor of Galatasaray in the match against Adana Demirspor, after which the team left the field and then received a technical defeat with a score of 0:3. “This is why Galatasaray has kicked nine penalties in the last 10 matches. That’s why the club loses in European competitions but has won almost every match in the domestic league for five years,” the Portuguese claimed.
“The betting case has resonated widely in Turkish society and could become a precedent in European soccer.” In No. 41 of Logos Press on November 7, the topic of match-fixing in the Moldovan Super League was raised. As the Turkish example shows, the eradication of this problem is possible with an initiative coming from above. Any initiatives coming from below meet only incomprehension and even rejection.
