Turkish football federation suspends 448 club officials in betting investigation

Trabzonspor president Ertugrul Dogan (in picture) and Besiktas vice-president Hakan Daltaban are among the most prominent names included in the list of people suspended. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

The Turkish Football Federation has handed out provisional suspensions to 448 current as well as former officials from clubs in the country’s top two divisions while it launched an investigation into alleged sports-betting violations.

According to the TFF, the officials would place their bets during the five-year period in which they held club roles, including during the 2026-27 campaign.

These cases have now been forwarded to the federation’s disciplinary board. The list allegedly contains about 171 individuals linked to Super Lig teams.

Trabzonspor president Ertugrul Dogan and Besiktas vice-president Hakan Daltaban are among the most prominent names included in the list of people suspended.

Dogan said he had previously registered a betting account and had already disclosed it to the authorities, maintaining that he had not broken any rules.

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He also pointed to the widespread sponsorship and promotional relationships between sports-betting companies and football clubs.

This investigation is said to be part of a broader crackdown by the Turkish football authorities following last year’s sports-betting scandal.

The TFF previously suspended 149 referees and 1,024 players, while a number of high-profile players and club officials were jailed over alleged illegal sports-betting and match-fixing.

In a separate investigation, Turkey detained the head and six ‌members of its main soccer referee board on Tuesday over accusations of interference in ​refereeing procedures.