The 2025 Turkish football betting scandal refers to an ongoing investigation into allegations of illegal sports betting involving referees, club presidents, and footballers in Turkish professional football that began 27 October 2025 in which the Turkish Football Federation announced that an internal audit found evidence suggesting widespread betting activity.
The scandal implicates hundreds of referees for violations of FIFA and UEFA integrity codes, prohibiting referees in any capacity from gambling, including simply holding betting accounts. Turkish Football Federation President ðbrahim HacñosmanoÃÂlu called the evidence "a milestone for Turkish football," and pledged to implement reforms aimed at restoring public confidence in officiating.
In early 2025, Turkish football faced increasing scrutiny. In February, FIFA-listed referee Yaà Âar Kemal UÃÂurlu resigned after being linked to gambling in a casino located in Northern Cyprus. In September, several referees filed criminal complaints against the TFF, alleging mobbing, unfair match assignments, and pressure to favor certain clubs, prompting judicial investigations. These events led the TFF to initiate a nationwide audit of referees' financial activities, focusing on potential betting violations.
In April 2025, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office initiated an investigation into betting taking some referees into account. As a result of this investigation, and after complaints were made by some referees, the Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation into the Central Referees Committee (MHK). Then, the case was moved to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office because of lack of jurisdiction. After that, the two investigations were combined and proceeded as one case.
According to Article 11 of Turkey's Law No. 6222 on Preventing Violence and Disorder in Sports (2011, amended 2017), the person responsible for the manipulation of the sporting event's result will be sentenced to 1 to 3 years of imprisonment and a penalty of up to 20,000 judicial days. The law treats offenses like match-fixing, bribery, and others that interfere with fair play and it aims at the same time referees, players, and the rest of the sports system. Penalties may increase to 5-12 years imprisonment under Article 11/3 if organized crime is involved.
According to the Turkish Football Disciplinary Regulations (FDT), penalties exceeding 45 days imposed on referees may result in the initiation of licence revocation proceedings.
As claimed by Türkiye newspaper journalist Tahir Kum the investigation was initially launched following suspicious bets placed on the 2024âÂÂ25 Second League match between Ankaraspor and Nazillispor in which no shots were taken. Kum stated in the news headline, "This incident began with the match between Ankaraspor and Nazillispor, and the high volume of betting on that match." On 11 September 2025, roughly 1.5 years after the match, the TFF imposed bans on two club presidents and 18 footballers after conducting an investigation.
The audit performed by the Turkish Football Federation, which was made public on October 27, 2025, reported widespread betting activity among referees, raising concerns about compliance with integrity rules. This audit included all 571 professional referees currently officiating in Turkey from every level of the sport. From this audit, it was revealed that 371, or 65%, of the active professional referees held registered betting accounts, which, according to FIFA and UEFA regulations, may constitute a violation, stating that referees are prohibited from any gambling, and simply having a betting account is a violation.
Of these, 152 referees were found to have actively placed bets on football matches. This included both domestic competitions, like the Süper Lig and lower-tier Turkish leagues, and international fixtures. Among the implicated officials, seven were elite main referees from the Süper Lig, 15 were elite assistant referees, 36 were regional main referees, and 94 were regional assistant referees.
HacñosmanoÃÂlu described the findings as severe and indicative of long-standing governance issues. In extreme cases, ten referees placed over 10,000 bets each, with one referee making 18,227 bets. Furthermore, 42 referees were found to have placed more than 1,000 wagers specifically on football matches.
HacñosmanoÃÂlu described the issue as systemic and stated that the federation intended to implement disciplinary and oversight measures. Under the TFF Disciplinary Code Article 57, gambling violations lead to penalties of three months to one-year bans. However, it remains unclear whether FIFA or UEFA will take additional disciplinary action due to the scandal's extent and its threat to the sport's integrity. Further on, HacñosmanoÃÂlu announced a plans for a referee training program emphasizing ethical compliance, enhanced oversight mechanisms, such as real-time monitoring of referee financial activities and collaboration with law enforcement to investigate potential match-fixing linked to betting patterns.
Approximately 5 hours later HacñosmanoÃÂlu's press conference, journalist Murat AÃÂñrel alleged on social media that MHK President Ferhat GündoÃÂdu had an active betting account. Further more, Kum claimed that a club president placed 3,057 bets and won 476 times, a masseur placed 2,399 bets and won 329 times, a footballer placed 1,950 bets and won 340 times, while another footballer and coaching staff members were found to have placed bets 15,987 times and won 3,138 times.
A day later, on 28 October, TFF and took disciplinary action against the 152 referees, referring them to the Professional Football Discipline Board (PFDK). 7 top flight main referees along the 152 were Zorbay Küçük, Egemen Artun, Mehmet Ali ÃÂzer, Melih Kurt, Muhammed Selim ÃÂzbek, Seyfettin Alper Yñlmaz and Yunus Dursun.
Among the 7, Yunus Dursun and Egemen Artun were each given a 10-month ban, while Muhammed Selim ÃÂzbek, Mehmet Ali ÃÂzer and Seyfettin Alper Yñlmaz were each given an 8-month ban. It was also decided to continue the investigation into the allegations of betting activities involving top-tier referees Zorbay Küçük and Melih Kurt and lower-tier referee Mertcan Tubay. The remaining 144 referees officiating in lower divisions were all punished with 8 to 12 month bans; due to these penalties exceeding 45 days, the refereeing rights of the 144 referees and 5 Süper Lig elite level referees were terminated.
Küçük's lawyer argued that two fake betting accounts had been opened in the referee's name and that his identity details had been stolen by a foreign individual. Küçük stated that he had never been a member of a betting site or placed any bets, either before or during his refereeing career.
On 31 October, during a political rally in Esenyurt, Republican People's Party (CHP) Chair ÃÂzgür ÃÂzel claimed that the red card shown to Göztepe player in a Süper Lig match against an undisclosed team was "unfairly issued" and correlated with a substantial bet. ÃÂzel asserted that 5.5 million Turkish Lira was wagered on the red card from Northern Cyprus on the same day. Subsequently, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an ex officio investigation on 31 October 2025 into the claims of illegal betting and potential match manipulation related to the match.
On 1 November, Beà Âiktaà  announced that the club has applied to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office to participate as a party in the investigation.
On 6 November, the 152 suspended referees issued a collective statement vehemently denying that they ever placed bets on matches they officiated. They admitted some had participated in online betting years ago, during their amateur days, also accusing the federation of turning them into scapegoats in a politically charged operation.
On 7 November, a detention order was issued for a total of 21 individuals, 17 referees and the president of Süper Lig side Eyüpspor Murat ÃÂzkaya, former Kasñmpaà Âa owner and fugitive Turgay Ciner and former club president Fatih Saraç whose terms ended on 30 September 2025, following a trustee appointment by the Turkish government. Saraç was released after his statement was taken.
On 10 November, eight suspects, including Eyüpspor Club President ÃÂzkaya and six referees, were arrested, while 11 suspects were released under judicial supervision.
On the same day, TFF announced that 1,024 footballers were referred to the PFDK on the grounds of betting, among the 1,024, 27 were Super League players; while the other players referred were 77 from the First League, 282 from the Second League, 629 from the Third League, and 9 from amateur leagues.
Due to the scale of the situation, the TFF announced that it had decided to postpone the fixtures for the Second and Third Leagues by two weeks to allow clubs to fill their squad gaps, while matches in the Süper Lig and First League would continue as previously announced.
27 Süper Lig footballers along the 1,024 were Beà Âiktaà Â's Necip Uysal and Ersin DestanoÃÂlu, Alanyaspor's ðzzet ÃÂelik, Enes Keskin, Yusuf ÃÂzdemir and Bedirhan ÃÂzyurt, Rizespor's Efe DoÃÂan and Furkan Orak, Galatasaray's Metehan Baltacñ and Eren Elmalñ, Gaziantep FK's Muhammet Taha Güneà  and Nazñm Sangare, Göztepe's Furkan Malak and UÃÂur Kaan Yñldñz, Antalyaspor's Kerem Kayaarasñ, Eyüpspor's Mükremin Arda Türköz, Kasñmpaà Âa's Ege Albayrak and Ali Emre Yanar, Fatih Karagümrük's Furkan Bekleviç and Kerem Yusuf Sirkeci, Samsunspor's Celil Yüksel, Trabzonspor's Boran Baà Âkan and Salih MalkoçoÃÂlu, Konyaspor's Adil Demirbaàand Alassane Ndao and Kayserispor's Berkan Aslan, Abdulsamet Burak.
Due to his involvement, Elmalñ was removed from Türkiye's squad and Trabzonspor player Mustafa Eskihellaç was included in the squad as his replacement. In addition to Elmalñ's removal from the senior squad, ðzzet ÃÂelik was dropped from the under-21 team and Ege Albayrak from the under-19 squad.
Beà Âiktaà  players Necip Uysal and goalkeeper Ersin DestanoÃÂlu, denied the betting allegations and filed a criminal complaint on 11 November on the grounds that their identity information had been used. DestanoÃÂlu stated, "Our federation shared our names without contacting us first, attempting to tarnish our reputations." Uysal also claimed that a betting account had been opened using his Turkish ID number. The charges against both Beà Âiktaà  players were dropped.
Elmalñ, admitted to betting on a game about five years ago that did not involve his own team.
On the programme "Kale Arkasñ" broadcast on TV100, journalist Haluk Yürekli claimed that Baltacñ had placed 1,600 bets within the period when he was on loan at Eyüpspor. Baltacñ, admitted to betting 1,600 times on games that did not involve his own team.
On 13 November, PFDK imposed bans ranging from 45 days to 12 months on 102 footballers from the Süper Lig and the First League. Abdulsamet Burak from Kayserispor and Alassane Ndao from Konyaspor received the longest possible penalties of 12 months each, while Metehan Baltacñ from Galatasaray and Yusuf ÃÂzdemir from Alanyaspor received 9-month bans; ðzzet ÃÂelik from Alanyaspor, Enes Keskin, Bedirhan ÃÂzyurt and Furkan Orak from Rizespor, Kerem Yusuf Sirkeci from Fatih Karagümrük, Berkan Aslan from Kayserispor and Boran Baà Âkan from Trabzonspor received three-month bans, while the other 12 Süper Lig players received 45-day bans.
On 16 November, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office announced that the investigation could be expanded, and stated that referees' foreign contacts were being investigated and that financial analyses, technical monitoring and digital investigations were being carried out to prevent the laundering of criminal proceeds.
On 17 November, TFF announced that FIFA had rejected its request for an additional transfer window due to players receiving penalties, citing international transfer rules.
On 18 November, PFDK imposed bans ranging from 45 days to 12 months on 282 footballers playing in the Second League.
A day later, on 19 November, PFDK imposed bans ranging from 45 days to 12 months on 638 footballers playing in the Third League and amateur leagues.
On 5 December, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office issued arrest warrants for 46 suspects related to the ongoing Turkish football betting scandal, including 27 footballers such as Galatasaray's Metehan Baltacñ, Fenerbahçe's team captain Mert Hakan Yandaà  and Konyaspor's Alassane Ndao, along with multiple club chairs and former executives, including Ankaraspor's chair Mehmet Emin KatipoÃÂlu, Nazillispor's chair à Âahin Kaya and Adana Demirspor's former chair Murat Sancak. Former referee and commentator Ahmet ÃÂakar and his wife Arzu ÃÂakar, along with referee Zorbay Küçük were alsowere taken into custody as part of an investigation into suspected financial irregularities in their bank accounts. It was also determined that six individuals, including one footballer, had agreed to influence the outcome of the ÃÂmraniyespor-Giresunspor match played on 24 December 2023. ÃÂakar was later released due to his health condition, specifically a heart spasm he experienced while in detention, which required an angiogram procedure.
In a statement, prosecutors revealed that evidence showed Baltacñ had placed bets on his own team's games, an action he had previously denied. They further noted that Yandaà Â's betting was allegedly conducted via a third party.
On 8 December, 29 individuals; Ahmet Abdullah ÃÂakmak, Eren KaradaÃÂ, UÃÂur Adem Gezer, Emrah ÃÂelik, Yunus Emre TekoÃÂul, Metehan Baltacñ, ðzzet Furkan Malak, Bartu Kaya, Arda Türken, Muhammed Furkan ÃÂzhan, Yusuf ÃÂzdemir, Orkun ÃÂzdemir, Kadir Kaan Yurdakul, Faruk Can Genç, Alassane Ndao, Ensar Bilir, Oktay Aydñn, Yücel Gürol, Mert Hakan Yandaà Â, Ersen Dikmen, Kerem Yusuf Sirkeci, Emircan ÃÂiçek, Ahmet Okatan, Gürhan Sünmez, Mehmet Emin KatipoÃÂlu, Volkan Erten, à Âahin Kaya, and ÃÂmit Kaya were referred to the court with a request for their arrest on charges of influencing a match result, while Murat Sancak was referred with a request for arrest on the charge of money laundering of criminal proceeds. 10 invidiuals; Zorbay Küçük, Abdulsamet Burak, Cengiz Demir, Erhan ÃÂelenk, ðsmail Kalburcu, Salih MalkoçoÃÂlu, Samet Karabatak, Tolga Kalender, UÃÂur Kaan Yñldñz, and Gamze Neli Kaya were referred to The Peace Courts with a request for them to be placed under judicial supervision. Among the 29, 20 individuals including Yandaà Â, Ndao, Sancak and Baltacñ were arrested and sent to jail.
According to the MASAK report, Mert Hakan Yandaà  frequently placed bets focusing particularly on player-specific bets such as ðsmail Yüksek committing a minimum of 3 fouls, and Yüksek receiving a card.Mert Hakan Yandaà  denied all the claims on his statement. Meanwhile, Metehan Baltacñ, during his time at Eyüpspor and Galatasaray, placed 36 bets ranging from 5 TL to 1,800 TL. It was established that Baltacñ did not feature in the 18 man squad for the matches he bet upon; and whilst at Galatasaray, his betting slips were placed on results such as "his own team to win" and "more than 2.5 goals to be scored," with no evidence found of him placing any wagers on the opposing team.
Following Yandaà Â's detention, digital evidence was recovered on his mobile phone showing images of him playing the virtual slot game "Sweet Bonanza" on an illegal betting site; to which Yandaà  claimed the images were merely shared with friends for entertainment. In addition, WhatsApp messages from the phone of Yandaà Â, were included in the investigation file. It was alleged that discussions about slot games and illegal betting sites took place in an undisclosed WhatsApp group that included ðrfan Can Kahveci, Cenk Tosun, ÃÂaÃÂlar Söyüncü and Yandaà Â.
On the same day, TFF announced that 197 more footballers were referred to the PFDK on the grounds of betting.
On 9 December, TFF announced that 27 more footballers and 22 more referees with 2 of them refereeing in the top-flight; Fevzi Erdem Alba and Furkan AksuoÃÂlu were referred to the PFDK on the grounds of betting.
On 26 December, 26 individuals, 14 of whom were footballers, including former director of Galatasaray Erden Timur, TFF Administrative Director of International Relations and National Teams BuÃÂra Cem ðmamoÃÂullarñ and Eyüpspor vice-president Fatih Kulaksñz were taken into custody on the grounds of illegal betting and influencing a match result. Six of the suspects detained were linked to suspicious betting patterns on the 2024âÂÂ25 Süper Lig Kasñmpaà Âa vs. Samsunspor match, in which Samsunspor's Olivier Ntcham missed two penalties within eight minutes and where unusual high-stakes wagers were placed on a specific "halftime/fulltime" outcome that correctly predicted Kasñmpaà Âa leading at the half and Samsunspor winning the game.
On 29 December, 21 out of the 26 suspects, including Fatih Kulaksñz and Erden Timur (former Vice President of Galatasaray) , were arrested, while three suspects were referred to the court with a request for judicial supervision. ðmamoÃÂullarñ was released after providing a statement to the prosecutor, and the court noted that one suspect was already serving time for a separate offense.
On 7 January, TFF announced that 108 coaches including Mehmet Altñparmak, Gökhan ÃÂnal and Hakan Keleà  were referred to the PFDK on the grounds of betting.
On 9 January, TFF announced that 47 more coaches including Serdar Topraktepe, Can Arat, ÃÂmit Davala and Olcan Adñn were referred to the PFDK on the grounds of betting.
On 29 January, former Adana Demirspor chairman Sancak was released from custody under house arrest.
On 12 February, TFF announced that 510 people including Galatasaray team doctor Yener ðnce and Fenerbahçe translator Saruhan Karaman were referred to the PFDK on the grounds of betting.
On 17 February, during investigations into illegal betting in Istanbul, it was determined that the former president and managers of Tuzlaspor were owners of an illegal betting website. As a result of the investigations, operations were carried out in five provinces centred on Istanbul. Eight people were detained during the operations, and during the operation, Diyarbekirspor and three companies were seized in line with allegations that some of the proceeds of crime were being laundered through certain sports clubs. Investigations revealed that Fevzi ðlhanlñ, the former president of Diyarbekirspor and Tuzlaspor, and his executives owned an illegal betting site and transferred the income they earned through the club.
On 27 February, an indictment was filed against 34 suspects, including footballers Metehan Baltacñ and Mert Hakan Yandaà Â, as well as Fenerbahçe Congress Member Ersen Dikmen, seeking prison sentences ranging from 4 to 13 years.
On 6 March, as part of the investigation, Timur Gayrimenkul Gelià Âtirme Yapñ ve Yatñrñm A.à Â., TG Timur Gayrimenkul ve Ticaret A.à Â., and Timur à Âehircilik ve Planlama A.à Â., companies owned by Erden Timur and allegedly used to launder criminal proceeds, were seized and placed under the receivership of the TMSF (Savings Deposit Insurance Fund of Türkiye).
On 24 March, Ndao was released after his first hearing under judicial supervision.
A day later on 25 March, Baltacñ was released under judicial supervision after his initial hearing. Sakaryaspor players Yunus Emre TekoÃÂul and Abdurrahman Bayram were released on the next day, on 26 March.
The revelations prompted strong reactions from major clubs, many of whom had previously voiced suspicions about match officiating: