Galatasaray star among 1,024 players suspended in Turkish football betting scandal | OneFootball

More than 1,000 players have been suspended by the Turkish Football Federation in a widening betting scandal.

This includes national team defender Eren Elmali who has been a Champions League regular for Galatasaray this season.

Elmali published a statement late on Monday to explain his involvement in the case after he was pulled from the Turkey squad preparing for World Cup qualifying meetings with Spain and Bulgaria.

The 25-year-old, who joined Galatasaray this year, posted on Instagram that he bet on a game about five years ago that it did not involve his own then-team.

Elmali and his Galatasaray teammate Metehan Baltaci are among 1,024 players on a list published on Monday by the Turkish federation who have been referred to a disciplinary commission.

The federation said the third and fourth-tier divisions have been shut down for two weeks, but games in the Super League — which is topped by defending champion Galatasaray — and second tier will continue.

Turkish football has been rocked by investigations into alleged widespread betting on games by referees, and now players, which is prohibited by Fifa.

More than 150 referees are alleged to have bet on games, including seven who are approved to handle top-level games and 15 top-level assistants.

The president of top-tier club Eyupspor and the former owner of Kasimpasa have been implicated and questioned.

"Our duty is to elevate Turkish football to its rightful place and to purge it of all its filth," federation president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu said at a news conference two weeks ago.

It comes at a time of revival for Turkish football, with the country set to co-host the Euro 2032 with Italy.

The national team’s most recent outing in a major tournament saw them reach the quarter-finals at Euro 2024, while Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium was also chosen to host the Champions League final in 2023.