Turkish authorities have detained 32 people, including football club executives, in a third wave of operations as part of a growing investigation into alleged illegal betting and match manipulation in Turkish football, the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said on Thursday.
Police detained 32 suspects in coordinated raids across 10 provinces in an operation based in İstanbul after prosecutors issued warrants for 33 people. One suspect remains at large.
According to a statement from the prosecutor’s office, the suspects were found to have betting accounts and, in some cases, placed wagers during matches involving teams they manage, including bets on opposing sides.
Among those detained were executives from a number of professional clubs, including Adana Demirspor, Ankaragücü, Yeni Malatyaspor, Antalyaspor, Bodrumspor, Göztepe, Giresunspor, Konyaspor, Alanyaspor, Denizlispor, Kocaelispor, Gençlerbirliği and Sivasspor.
The latest detentions mark the third wave of a probe launched by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office into allegations of illegal betting and attempts to influence match outcomes.
In the previous phase of the investigation, prosecutors ordered the detention of 46 suspects, including 29 footballers, as part of what authorities described as a sprawling betting network involving players, referees and club officials. Thirty-five of those suspects were detained at the time, while several were reported to be abroad.
Among those previously taken into custody were former referee and football commentator Ahmet Çakar; Murat Sancak, former chairman of Adana Demirspor; referee Zorbay Küçük; and players including Galatasaray’s Metehan Baltacı and Fenerbahçe’s Mert Hakan Yandaş.
Prosecutors have said several players were suspected of betting on matches involving their own teams, while others were accused of attempting to influence the outcome of lower-division fixtures.
The investigation has shaken Turkish football and prompted the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), which has said it wants to “clean up the beautiful game” in Turkey, to suspend more than 1,000 players in recent months, including dozens from the top-flight Super Lig, with the sanctions ranging from 45 days to 12 months.
In October, the TFF suspended nearly 150 referees for betting on matches, all of whom have since been fired.
Eight suspects were detained earlier this week as part of an illegal betting investigation based in İstanbul, seizing Diyarbekirspor, a professional football club in southeastern Turkey, and three companies over allegations that criminal proceeds were laundered through sports clubs.
In a relevant development last month, an İstanbul court ordered the seizure of top-division football club Eyüpspor and eight companies linked to its jailed president as part of an investigation into illegal betting and suspected money laundering.
The trusteeship was assigned to the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF), a state body that takes over companies under court order.
The latest operations come amid a broader crackdown on illegal gambling networks in Turkey, as authorities intensify efforts to dismantle online betting operations and their financial backbones.
In recent months prosecutors have targeted payment platforms, electronic money companies and cryptocurrency channels accused of facilitating illegal betting transactions, while regulators have moved to suspend or revoke the licenses of companies linked to money laundering.
Gambling remains tightly restricted in Turkey. Casinos were banned in 1998, and non-state online gambling was outlawed in 2006, though state-run lottery and betting services remain legal.
Turkish authorities say such activities fuel addiction and drain billions of lira from the economy.