 has announced that 1,024 professional players have been found to have placed bets, expanding the country’s fast-growing sports-betting scandal beyond referees and club officials.){kind=link}
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has announced that 1,024 professional players have been found to have placed bets, expanding the country’s fast-growing sports-betting scandal beyond referees and club officials.
The federation said Monday that 27 of the players currently compete in the Turkish Süper Lig, the country’s top football division, including names from İstanbul giants Beşiktaş and Galatasaray.
Those referred to the Professional Football Disciplinary Board (PFDK) include Beşiktaş goalkeeper Ersin Destanoğlu, veteran defender Necip Uysal and Galatasaray players Eren Elmalı and Metehan Baltacı.
The TFF said all 1,024 players were provisionally suspended and referred to the disciplinary board under Article 57 of the federation’s regulations, which prohibits athletes from gambling on football matches.
The board said 47 players who placed only a single bet would be reviewed later pending additional evidence from authorities.
Because of the scale of the case, the TFF said it would request permission from FIFA to open a special 15-day transfer window so clubs can replace suspended players.
The federation also postponed all second and third-division fixtures for two weeks but confirmed that Super League and First League games will continue as scheduled.
The TFF previously disclosed that hundreds of referees had betting accounts, which later led to the arrest of several referees and a club executive.