The betting scandal in Turkish football is spreading more and more. Now 1,024 players have been temporarily banned – including from the SüperLig.
The cases were referred to the Disciplinary Commission for Professional Football because of alleged involvement in betting fraud, the Turkish Football Association (TFF) said in a statement on Monday evening. As a result, 27 players in the Turkish Superliga are also affected, including professionals from top clubs Galatasaray Istanbul and Besiktas. The footballers could not play until the measure was lifted, the TFF said when asked.
A court in Istanbul had previously issued an arrest warrant against eight suspects – against several referees, but also against the president of the first division club Eyüpspor, Murat Özkaya. Eleven other people were released on conditions. They are accused, among other things, of abuse of office and competition manipulation.
Referees are said to have placed bets
At the end of October, the Turkish Football Association (TFF) announced allegations that a total of 152 referees were said to have actively placed bets. The TFF has now suspended 149 referees and assistants for periods between eight and twelve months.
In a joint statement, the referees concerned described the allegations as “outrageous”. None of them had ever bet on games that they had refereed themselves, it was said. Some said their betting activities were limited to periods as amateur referees.