Turkish prosecutors have detained 17 current and former football club officials as part of a sweeping match-betting investigation into allegations that they placed wagers against their own teams or on in-game outcomes while serving in management positions.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office said the investigation analyzed betting records from licensed sportsbooks operating in Türkiye between 2020 and 2026.
Authorities cross-referenced those records with the tenure of club executives to determine whether officials had placed bets on matches involving their own clubs.
According to prosecutors, investigators identified 19 club officials who allegedly wagered on matches involving their teams while serving as executives.
The suspected bets included wagers favoring opposing teams, over-under goal markets and player-related betting markets.
Police carried out simultaneous raids across 10 provinces centered in Istanbul to detain the suspects.
Seventeen people were taken into custody, while two others were found to be abroad.
Prosecutors said financial intelligence reports prepared by Türkiye's Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) were also examined as part of the probe, helping authorities identify the suspects and trace their betting activities.
Authorities have emphasized that the investigation concerns betting activity and remains ongoing. No criminal verdicts have been issued.
According to investigators, the officials under investigation and the number of betting slips allegedly linked to matches involving their own clubs are:
Tolga Kırgız (Beşiktaş): 1,488 betting slips involving Beşiktaş matches, including bets favoring opponents or goal-related markets.
Kerem Gürel (Beşiktaş): 996 betting slips.
Avni Akdemir (Erzurumspor): 218 betting slips.
Ünsal Yamaner (Bandırmaspor): 144 betting slips.
Savaş Tatil (Adanaspor): 124 betting slips.
Hasan Turan Güven (Altay): 78 betting slips.
Ali Şen (Boluspor): 61 betting slips.
Ahmet Akçelik (Beşiktaş): 53 betting slips.
Özgür Durşen (Gençlerbirliği): 50 betting slips.
Maruf Güneş (Galatasaray): 48 betting slips.
Halil İbrahim Yavaş (Boluspor): 28 betting slips.
Hüseyin Gözütok (Bodrum FK): 27 betting slips.
Ali Gürsoy (Boluspor): 22 betting slips.
Ömer Çetin (Karaman FK): 18 betting slips.
Sezgin Özkan (Gençlerbirliği): 16 betting slips.
Barış Orhunbilge (Altınordu): 14 betting slips.
Murat Şabablı (Boluspor): 13 betting slips.
Kemal Aydın (Balıkesirspor): 12 betting slips.
Ali Sancak (Adana Demirspor): Seven betting slips.
Investigators allege the betting activity occurred while the individuals held executive roles at their respective clubs, potentially creating conflicts of interest and raising concerns about the integrity of domestic football competitions.
