A fresh betting investigation has sent a shock through Turkish football, with hundreds of club officials now facing disciplinary scrutiny while the country’s game remains under pressure from an earlier refereeing scandal.
Hundreds of officials sent to disciplinary panel
The Turkish Football Federation has referred 448 club executives to its Professional Football Disciplinary Committee as part of its investigation into illegal betting.
- The federation said the officials named had held club leadership roles in the Turkish top flight during the 2026-27 season.
- It found that they had placed bets while serving in football positions at some point over the previous five years.
- Each of the 448 individuals has therefore been sent before the disciplinary body for possible sanctions.
The list reaches into the country’s biggest clubs. It includes Trabzonspor’s president, Beşiktaş’s vice-president, several current and former Galatasaray executives, and three former Fenerbahçe officials.
A wider crisis around Turkish football
The announcement did not explicitly connect the disciplinary referrals to the arrest on Tuesday of the head of Turkish refereeing and six other suspects.
However, the federation pointed to the suspension of 149 referees a year ago amid suspicions of involvement in a betting affair. The new proceedings against club officials indicate that the investigation has now widened far beyond match officials.
