The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has taken a major step in a widespread illegal sports betting scandal. On Thursday, November 13, 2025, the TFF's disciplinary committee suspended 102 players, including 25 who play in the first division (Süper Lig).

The footballers were found guilty of placing bets on matches, in flagrant violation of the existing ban. The penalties vary considerably, ranging from a short 45-day period to a maximum of twelve months.

The Players Involved

The scale: The initial TFF investigation, launched earlier in the week, targeted 1,024 footballers, the majority playing in the lower leagues (third and fourth divisions).

The stars: Two players from Galatasaray, the three-time defending Turkish champions, are among those sanctioned.

Turkish international Eren Elmali (25 years old) has been handed a 45-day suspension. He admitted to betting while playing in the fourth division almost five years ago.

Metehan Baltaci is suspended for nine months.

The only foreign player: Konyaspor's Senegalese winger Alassane Ndao received the heaviest sanction, namely a twelve-month suspension.

Consequences and Antecedents

Amedspor (currently 3rd in the second division) reacted quickly by announcing the termination of the contracts of five of its sanctioned players.

The TFF has not disclosed whether any of the 102 players bet on matches in which they personally participated, a key point in this type of case.

This scandal follows a wave of suspensions among referees. At the end of October, the federation had already suspended 149 referees for similar betting practices, with suspensions ranging from eight to twelve months. Six of them were placed in pretrial detention on Monday as part of an ongoing judicial investigation.