Turkish football has been plunged into one of its biggest crises in decades after prosecutors in Istanbul ordered the arrest of 46 people, including 29 professional players, as part of an ongoing investigation into illegal betting on domestic matches.

In a statement released on Friday, the Istanbul prosecutor’s office confirmed that 27 of the players being targeted are suspected of placing bets on matches involving their own teams, with some allegedly gambling on games in which they were on the pitch.

The scandal has steadily grown since early November, when investigators revealed that 18 people had been detained amid claims that referees were betting on the matches they were officiating.

Just a week earlier, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) moved to suspend 149 match officials over similar allegations.

The TFF has now confirmed that disciplinary hearings have resulted in suspensions lasting between eight and twelve months for several referees accused of breaching betting rules.

The federation described the inquiry as ongoing and said three more officials remain under scrutiny.

According to the findings shared by the TFF, a review of 571 referees working across Turkey’s professional leagues showed that 371 had opened betting accounts, and 152 were found to have actively placed wagers.

One of those named is Metehan Baltacı of reigning champions Galatasaray, who had already been handed a nine-month ban earlier in November.

The affair sent shockwaves through Turkish football when, on 10 November, six referees were placed in pre-trial detention, along with the president of Eyüpspor, who compete in the Super Lig.

While prosecutors have declined to release the names of the other 26 players accused of betting on their own clubs, they confirmed that Fenerbahçe midfielder Mert Hakan Yandaş allegedly used a third party’s account to place bets.

Authorities say police have so far detained 35 of the 46 people named in the warrants, with five suspects believed to have fled abroad. The list of targets also includes two club presidents accused of attempting to influence the result of a third-division match last season.

Suspicion first arose after the fixture ended without either side registering a single shot on goal, a detail reported to have triggered the wider investigation.

The scale of the issue is still emerging. To date, the TFF has issued suspensions to more than 1,000 players nationwide, including 25 from the Super Lig.

The punishments range from 45-day bans to suspensions stretching across an entire season.

Only one foreign player has been caught up in the scandal so far. Konyaspor’s Senegalese winger, Alassane Ndao, was sanctioned with a twelve-month ban.

The vast majority of those punished, more than 900 players, compete in Turkey’s lower leagues.

The investigation is continuing, and further sanctions are expected as the authorities work to determine the full extent of the betting network believed to be operating within Turkish football.

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