The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has suspended 1,024 of its players including 27 from the Super Lig as it continues to investigate a betting scandal within the sport.
This latest move follows the suspension of 149 referees and match officials late last month and has thrown Turkish football into chaos.
In a TFF statement regarding referrals to the Professional Football Disciplinary Board (PFDK), the governing body said it has begun “urgent negotiations” with FIFA to request that an additional 15-days be added to January’s transfer window so that clubs can have time to replace suspended players within their squads.
The executive board also announced it had decided to postpone all 2 Lig and 3 Lig games for two weeks while the investigation is ongoing, but that the Super Lig and 1 Lig would continue as normal.
It was also being reported by Turkey’s state-owned news agency Anadolu that eight suspects were arrested after being referred to the court as part of the investigation, with Murat Ozkaya, the president of Super Lig club Eyupspor, among the names listed.
Players Named In Turkey’s Betting Scandal
It Is not clear to what extent the players named have been implicated in any betting activity and the TFF’s own statement says the suspensions announced are “a precautionary measure”.
That would suggest the net has been cast far and wide before any individual cases have been reviewed properly.
A full list of all 1,024 players suspended has been made available as a pdf on the TFF’s official website and shows that 27 are from clubs in Turkey’s top division, the Super Lig.
Among them are Galatasaray defender Ern Elmali, 25, who was withdrawn from Turkey’s World Cup squad ahead of the qualifying games with Spain and Bulgaria.
He has subsequently posted an explanation on Instagram, to say he placed a bet on a game around five years ago but that it wasn’t on a match affecting his own team.
Also named are Besiktas goalkeeper Ersin Destanoğlu, 24, and long-serving midfielder Necip Uysal, 34, as well as Trabzonspor’s home-grown midfielder Boran Başkan, 19.
Speaking after appearing at the Istanbul Courthouse where he had just filed a criminal complaint, Destanoğlu said: “I know myself, my conscience is clear.”
He went on to explain that he thought both he and Uysal had been the victims of fake accounts set up in their names.
“I will say the same things as my team-mate Necip,” he said.
“My contact information and identity information were taken and an account was opened.”
Destanoğlu was also angry that the player’s names had been made public before the players had been given an opportunity to explain themselves to the TFF.
“Without our federation contacting us… an attempt was made to tarnish our name by directly sharing it.
“We have never had such dealings with things, it won’t happen.
“We would not put ourselves in a position where we would tarnish our name with such ridiculous things.
“I am very angry. I know myself. My conscience is clear.”
In addition to 27 players from the Super Lig, the suspension affect 77 from 1 Lig, 282 from 2 Lig and 629 from 3 Lig and nine from outside of the league format.
149 Match Officials Suspended In October
Speaking today (November 11) at the annual Turkuvaz Media Sports Summit, TFF President Ibrahim Hacıosmanoğlu reasserted the federation’s zero-tolerance to corruption.
“We will not compromise on justice in football,” he said.
“Our mission is clear: to create a fair environment where every victory is earned, not manipulated.”
Hacıosmanoğlu showed his authoritative hand in late October when the TFF announced it was suspending 149 match officials.
Describing the situation as a “moral crisis in Turkish football,” Hacıosmanoğlu revealed on October 27 that 371 of the country’s 571 active referees owned at least one betting account, with 152 of those actively betting on football.
From that group there were seven referees and 15 assistant referees who had officiated at games in Turkey’s top two divisions.
The number of bets involved was staggering, with one official along placing 18,227 wagers.
A further 10 referees were responsible for placing more than 10,000 bets and 142 placed bets on more than 1,000 matches.
In addition to the suspensions, the TFF introduced a VAR system enhanced by AI and established a whistleblower hotline to help combat potential match-fixing.
Jose Mourinho On Football In Turkey
Jose Mourinho was manager of Super Lig club Fenerbahce from July 2024 until August of this year.
The highly decorated coach has never been one to shy away from an opinion and was hit with a one-game suspension last November for saying he was “fighting the system” in Turkey and that the Turkish league “smells bad”.
Following a 3-2 win at Trabzonspor during which the home side were awarded two penalties, the three-time Premier League winner took a swipe at the standard of officiating.
“I know what I was told even before I came,” he said. “I didn’t believe.
“It is even worse than I was told.
“It’s more difficult because we play against our opponents, good opponents like Trabzonspor are, but we play against the system, and to play against the system is the most difficult thing.”
