1,000 footballers suspended after gigantic gambling scandal
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15 Nov 2025 •
Reading time: 2 minutes The Turkish Football Association has provisionally suspended 1,024 players after a large-scale investigation into illegal betting. Well-known names from the top division are also involved.
The investigation began at the end of October. First, more than 150 referees who bet on their own matches came into the picture. After that, the scandal expanded rapidly. The association involved the disciplinary committee and brought the case to international parties like FIFA.
Galatasaray player removed from national squad
One of the most notable names is Eren Elmali, left-back for Galatasaray. He was removed from the national team squad. The player was recently on the field against Ajax in the Champions League.
Players from Besiktas, including Ersin Destanoglu and Necip Uysal, are also provisionally suspended. The Turkish media report that multiple clubs are affected. Some teams lost almost their entire squad in one go.
FIFA considers opening transfer market early
Due to the large number of suspensions, many clubs are facing serious problems. The Turkish Football Association is now consulting with FIFA to temporarily open the transfer market. This way, clubs can replenish their teams.
For now, the third and fourth divisions are at a standstill. Some clubs simply have too few players left to field a team. Diyarbekirspor saw eighteen players suspended at once.
The case not only affects the sport, but also has overlaps with other recent files in Turkey. For example, it was previously revealed that 330 million dollars were laundered via a linked payment system.s
In a broader sense, Turkey is also struggling with organized cyber fraud. Another investigation showed that 127 million dollars were captured via online crime.