The second wave of arrests in the betting scandal! » 29 footballers, and two play for Galatasaray and Fenerbahce
Article by Daniel Scorpie – Published Saturday, 06 December 2025, 11:24 / Updated Saturday, 06 December 2025 11:29
The total number of people involved in the scandal that has rocked football in Turkey for several months has reached 36 after the police also made arrests among the players. Among the 46 detained are 29 footballers, with one representative each from the Super Lig giants: Metehan Baltaci (Galatasaray) and Mert Hakan Yandaş (Fenerbahçe).
The Turkish football world was rocked in October when Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu, president of the Football Federation, announced that 371 of the referees in the professional leagues had betting accounts and 152 were active gamblers.
Turkish prosecutors announced a month ago that they ordered the detention of 21 people, including 17 referees and a former president of a club in the Turkish championship, as part of an investigation into alleged betting on football matches.
We started the TFF cleanup from our own backyard. But we also self-evaluate, starting with me and my colleagues in the leadership of the federation. And we will publish the results soon. We are going through a moral crisis in Turkish football
– Ibrahim HaciosmanogluPresident of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF)
The championship could be suspended for the investigation
Turkish justice ordered the arrest of 46 other people, 29 of whom are football players, as announced by the Prosecutor's Office in Istanbul. 27 players are suspected by prosecutors of having bet on their own team's matches, the Prosecutor's Office stated in an official statement.
After the referees and club leaders were arrested, it was also the turn of the players, among whom appear the defender Metehan Baltaci from Galatasaray and midfielder Mert Hakan Yandaş from Fenerbahce, the latter being suspected of betting on various matches through a third party.
According to several Turkish press agencies, former referee Ahmet Cakar is also among the 36 people arrested. but also another active one, Zorbay Kucuk.
The latest developments in this investigation put, on short notice, the dispute of the current champion, some sources from the Istanbul Federation talking about a suspension of one of the future stages, for a better research development!
The investigation continues and the Turkish press writes that there are still people in danger of being detained soon, if they prove guilty in the biggest scandal in the history of the Super Lig.
