Turkish football federation probes 450 club officials for betting

Owner-supplied report; not independently verified. The alleged betting activity, disciplinary referrals and arrests require confirmation from official records. A referral or arrest is not a finding of guilt; the supplied report does not establish a connection between the two investigations.

Turkey's Football Federation (TFF) says it has referred some 450 club officials to the disciplinary board as part of a probe into betting.

The announcement came a day after the justice minister announced the arrest of the head of Turkey's football refereeing body and six other people as part of a graft probe.

It was not immediately clear if the two incidents were connected, although the TFF released a statement that made reference to a scandal last year in which 149 referees were suspended over suspected involvement in an illegal betting scandal.

"As part of the betting investigation conducted by the Turkish Football Federation, it has been decided that the following individuals will be referred to the Professional Football Disciplinary Committee," it said, listing 448 names.

It said they had "served as officials at clubs competing in the Super Lig and TFF 1 Lig during the 2026-2027 season and who were found to have placed bets while in office over the past five years," it said.

The list includes several dozen names from Turkey's top-flight clubs, including the president of Trabzonspor, the vice president of Besiktas, several current and former Galatasaray officials, and three former officials from Fenerbahce.

Tuesday's arrests were part of a probe in which prosecutors believe the suspects improperly influenced referee classifications, exams and match appointments through document fraud and systemic intimidation, Turkish media reports said.