Former Galatasaray vice-president Erden Timur and 23 others have been detained as part of a widening football betting investigation, with 14 players accused of betting against their own teams, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has confirmed.
The coordinated operation, conducted across 11 provinces, targeted 29 suspects in total. Authorities said 24 suspects were taken into custody, and one was already serving a prison sentence for an unrelated offence, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend the remaining four.
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According to the prosecutor’s statement, the suspects include 14 footballers accused of betting against their own teams in a manner capable of influencing match outcomes, specifically by wagering on opposition victories.
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Timur, who served as a senior administrator at Galatasaray between 2022 and 2024, is under investigation following the discovery of “suspicious financial transactions” in his bank accounts. The prosecutor’s office said these transactions may constitute violations of multiple Turkish laws.
Investigators added that seven suspects are linked to a previously detained individual through what were described as suspicious financial dealings. Another six suspects are accused of placing bets related to the Kasimpasa vs Samsunspor match of October 26, 2024, allegedly in a way that could have affected the outcome. One additional suspect was found to have suspicious financial activity connected to multiple betting accounts.
The probe, publicly referred to as the Football Betting Investigation, is based on evidence drawn from several sources, including data from the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), records from legal betting platforms, open-source intelligence, rulings of the Turkish Football Federation Professional Football Disciplinary Committee (PFDK), HTS (cell tower) analyses, and digital materials seized during two earlier operations.
