Turkish soccer has been rocked by the ongoing gambling scandal that implicated hundreds of its match officials when the news broke in late 2025.
A far-reaching investigation ordered by Turkish Football Federation President, Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu, was instigated to “drain the swamp,” but instead, it revealed deeper, murkier waters that lie beneath.
Now, with more than 1,000 players suspended and nearly two-thirds of elite referees implicated in illegal betting, Turkey faces the deepest crisis in its soccer history. It reflects long-standing issues that have shaped the modern era of the game in Turkey from fierce club rivalries, suspicions of favoritism, volatile fan culture, to a history of disputes over governance and fairness.
We look at how the situation materialized and what happens next in the hotbed that is soccer in Turkey?
The climate behind the scandal
When you think of the game in the large Eurasian nation that spans the two continents, you are met with images of passion, fervor, fanaticism, hostility, and controversy.
Turkish soccer isn’t for the faint-hearted, with the noise and color created by the strongly partisan fans in the crowd having a big impact on the pitch.
Referee scandal in Turkey!
Turkish football has been hit with a betting scandal, after hundreds of referees were found to have bet on matches, which is not allowed.
Turkish prosecutors are investigating, and there are reports players are also involved in the scandal. pic.twitter.com/hI0lFYS2sI
— DW Sports (@dw_sports) October 29, 2025
The standard of the players, teams, and their performances in European competitions isn’t quite at the level of 10 and 20 years ago, but it is more than just a game, where emotions run deep, often beyond the full-time whistle.
That is what has transpired with the gambling scandal that has engulfed Turkey, but the game has been mired in controversy for many years.
With suspicions of favoritism toward the big Istanbul clubs (Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, and Besiktas), referees have been closely scrutinized and maligned. While these accusations have not been proven, they have contributed to an atmosphere of mistrust in domestic officiating.
Fans of those clubs have railed against big decisions going against them, while the recent onset of VAR (video assistant referees) has meant decisions are pored over and analyzed to a great degree.
This means talking points are exacerbated, while peculiar on-field decisions are opened up like a can of worms.
Haciosmanoglu wanted reform to be implemented on his watch, but first, there is dirty work to be done.
“As a federation, we start by cleaning up our own back yard,” said the president.
“If we want to bring Turkish football to the place it deserves, we have to clean up whatever dirt there is.”
According to findings from the federation’s internal investigation, the probe uncovered verifiable evidence that 371 of the 571 active referees at the top levels of the game held betting accounts.
Almost half of that number (152) were discovered to have active accounts, including seven Super Lig (top flight) match officials.
Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu tarafından 27 Ekim 2025 tarihinde, Sayın Başkanımız İbrahim Ethem Hacıosmanoğlu’nun basın toplantısında yaptığı açıklama ile “Futbol Disiplin Talimatı” içerisinde kalan kişilerin, futbola yönelik bahis oynayıp oynamadıklarına yönelik disiplin… pic.twitter.com/TepwaEQqvU
— TFF (@TFF_Org) November 12, 2025
In one example, a referee was found to have placed more than 18,000 soccer bets over five years.
This is disastrous, undermining the integrity of their roles and the game overall, and officials warned that further revelations could follow as the inquiry continues.
History of scandal in Turkish soccer
This betting scandal is not a new phenomenon to soccer in Turkey, where enmity and animosity have always been present.
Back in 2011, a confirmed match-fixing scandal emerged in a tangled web involving bribery, extortion, organized crime, and ultimately, prison sentences.
Four years later, Fenerbahce’s team bus was travelling to a game when it came under live gunfire. The club publicly condemned the attack and suggested it may have been linked to the hostile atmosphere and speculation surrounding match-fixing at the time, though this connection was never formally proven.
Then, two years ago, Ankaragücü president Faruk Koca marched onto the pitch after a game against Rizespor and assaulted a referee, punching him in the face, which was captured on camera and widely criticized.
A long-held distrust, particularly among fans, in domestic officials has even led to overseas referees being appointed for some of Turkey’s biggest fixtures. This measure, while not proof of corruption, reflects how deeply rooted the perception of bias has become.
Soccer authorities in Turkey have often attempted to play down concerns, reassuring the public that fears of corruption were overstated. However, those reassurances frequently failed to convince, and many supporters remained adamant that governance itself was part of the problem.
Hacıosmanoglu’s recent intervention, and the findings that followed, have brought some of those long-standing suspicions into sharper focus.
The situation escalated into a full-blown crisis when further investigations led to more than 1,000 footballers across several leagues being suspended pending review for suspected betting violations.
In total, 102 professional players from the top two divisions have already been formally sanctioned with bans ranging from 45 days to 12 months for confirmed breaches of betting regulations.
That cohort includes 25 Super Lig players, including high-profile figures such as Galatasaray and Turkey defender Eren Elmali, his teammate Metehan Baltaci, as well as Ersin Destanoglu and Necip Uysal from Besiktas.
Eren Elmalı explains the situation and reaffirms his commitment to fair play. Credit: Eren Elmali / Instagram
At present, the top two leagues are continuing with reduced squads, due to the bans, while the third and fourth tiers have been mothballed, to allow authorities to wade through the mess.
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has suspended 149 referees and match officials as part of its clean-up operation and has allocated additional resources to VAR oversight, whistleblowing channels, and integrity monitoring. Restoring trust will take significant time.
As part of the broader crackdown, Istanbul law enforcement has also detained or targeted 21 additional individuals, including club executives, as part of ongoing criminal inquiries.
Under Turkey’s law on the Prevention of Violence and Irregularities in Sports, match-fixing brings the potential of one to three years in prison and heavy fines, with an increase of five to twelve years if organized crime is involved.
Investigations continue with the police and authorities still tasked to bring the perpetrators to account.
How does Turkish soccer recover from the gambling scandal?
For President Haciosmanoglu, this is painstaking work that is required to clean up soccer in Turkey and to begin to restore its soul.
“We believe we will succeed on this path to clean football,” he stressed.
“We are aware that this is a long and difficult path, however, every evening has its morning. The sun will surely rise after the darkness.
“Our duty is to elevate Turkish football to its rightful place and to purge it of all its filth.”
He continued, “Football is more than sport, it is unity, pride, and peace.”
The reputation management will be a long-term aim, but for now, the TFF has to make gains and demonstrate progress that it has cleaned up its act.
For too long, a blind eye and obfuscation have been the approach, instead of clarity and integrity. Turkish refereeing has been compromised, rather than strewn with erratic decision-making, seemingly justifying much of the anger and suspicion.
Haciosmanoglu’s line in the sand has to be the turning point for recovery and rehabilitation of the game’s image internationally, but that won’t be an easy fix.
The fightback includes strict protocols around match official licensing, enhanced monitoring of betting patterns, and a moral commitment to preserve Turkish soccer for the fans of tomorrow and the future.
“Our moral debt is to deliver a purified game. The next generation deserves nothing less,” said the TFF President.
UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, is also watching, with the threat of punitive sanctions if the national federation does not effectively fix the problem.
Turkey’s news agency, ANKA, shared written correspondence from the press office, which confirmed that:
“UEFA is in contact with the Turkish Football Federation concerning this matter. We have no further comment at this stage.”
Ultimately, Turkey’s challenge is to rebuild trust in a sport whose identity has long been shaped by emotion, rivalry, and scrutiny. Restoring credibility will therefore require cultural change, transparent governance, and a commitment to fairness that resonates from the TFF’s headquarters to the smallest local club. The question now is whether Turkish soccer can seize this moment and transform a deep-rooted crisis into the foundation for lasting reform.
Featured image: Canva
The post How the Turkish soccer gambling scandal emerged and what happens next appeared first on ReadWrite.
