Turkish authorities have arrested 18 individuals, including football club officials, as a widespread investigation into referees betting on games and potentially influencing match outcomes continues to rock the nation’s football scene.
The Turkish Public Prosecutor’s Office announced the arrests on Friday. Warrants were issued for a total of 21 people, including 17 referees and the president of a top-tier Turkish club.
Operations were coordinated across Istanbul and 11 other provinces. The suspects were detained for interrogation this morning.
The investigation focuses on suspected “abuse of power” and “influencing match results.”
Murat Ozkaya, president of Turkish Super League club Eyupspor, is among those being interrogated. So is Fatih Sarac, former owner of the Kasimpasa club.
Kasimpasa itself was placed under judicial administration in September after a separate corruption probe involving its former owning company.
These arrests follow earlier actions by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) to address widespread betting irregularities.
On October 31, the TFF suspended 149 referees for violating a ban on betting on games.
Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu, TFF President, stated that “arbitration is a profession of honor. Whoever stains that honor (…) will never again participate in Turkish football.”
Days before the suspensions, a TFF investigation had revealed the scale of the issue. It involved 571 professional league referees.
Of these, 371 had accounts on sports betting platforms. At least 152 were actively placing bets.
The suspensions handed to the 149 referees range from eight to 12 months. The TFF indicated that investigations are ongoing for three additional individuals.
The TFF specified that 22 of the implicated individuals, including seven main referees and 15 assistants, operate in the top division.
The investigation uncovered staggering betting volumes. Ten professionals each made over 10,000 bets.
The most active referee placed a total of 18,227 bets. Additionally, 42 referees each bet on more than 1,000 games.
The TFF did not specify if any suspended referees are suspected of betting on matches they themselves officiated. Such an offense would carry even more severe penalties.