Eyüpspor boss Özkaya arrested
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In connection with the betting scandal in Turkish football, a court in Istanbul has issued an arrest warrant for eight suspects after numerous arrests. Among them were the president of the Eyüpspor club, Murat Özkaya, and several referees, the state news agency “Anadolu” reported. Eleven other people were released under conditions. They are accused, among other things, of abuse of office and competition manipulation.
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. Clubs and thousands of players are now also being investigated. The TFF has now suspended 149 referees and assistants for periods between eight and twelve months.
The suspected players include 27 professionals who are currently active in the Süper Lig, including Galatasaray national player Eren Elmalı (25) and defender Metehan Baltacı (23), or Besiktas players Ersin Destanoğlu and Necip Uysal (34). Cologne-born former national player Nazım Sangaré (31) also appears in a list of players who were reportedly reported by the association to the PFDK disciplinary committee.
“There were seven referees from the Süper Lig, 15 assistant referees from the Süper Lig, 36 referees from the 1st Lig (second highest division; editor) and 94 assistant referees from the 1st Lig! Of these, 10 referees placed over 10,000 bets, one referee alone placed 18,227 bets, 42 referees placed bets on over 1,000 individual bets Football games and some referees only placed individual games,” TFF President İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu said at the end of October.
Note: This article first appeared on November 7th, 2025 and was updated with new information on November 11th, 2025.