Turkish football rocked as 448 officials suspended in betting investigation

The Turkish Football Federation has provisionally suspended 448 current and former club officials over alleged betting activities, including Trabzonspor president Ertugrul Dogan and Besiktas vice-president Hakan Daltaban.

The federation said all those named had been referred to its disciplinary committee after being found to have engaged in betting while holding official positions at clubs in Turkey’s first and second divisions during the 2026-2027 season and over the past five years.

The scale of the action makes it the biggest betting-related purge in Turkish football for several years. The list includes prominent figures from across the game and has widened the investigation beyond players and referees to senior club administrators.

Local media reports, cited by Reuters, said about 171 of the suspended officials had previously worked for clubs in the Turkish top flight, the Super Lig.

Dogan later addressed the allegations and confirmed that he had previously held a betting account, which he said he had disclosed to the authorities.

“These companies sponsored clubs and organised launch events. Nobody expected that this could cause problems,” Dogan told television channel A Spor.

“If we made a mistake, we apologise, but we did not commit any wrongdoing,” he added.

The Turkish Football Federation’s decision follows a significant escalation in its monitoring of betting in the sport. Last year’s major scandal led to around 149 referees and 1,024 players being suspended for varying periods.

That investigation subsequently resulted in several elite players and senior officials being jailed as part of a wider crackdown on illegal betting and match-fixing in professional leagues.

The latest developments have also extended the inquiry into the country’s refereeing structures. Turkish authorities detained the chairman and six members of the main football referees’ board on Tuesday.

They are accused of interfering with refereeing procedures, suggesting that the investigation could affect institutions across Turkish football rather than being limited to clubs and individuals.