Suspensions Announced for Footballers Involved in Betting in Turkey

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has concluded its long-running betting investigation. A total of 102 players were handed suspensions ranging from 45 days to 12 months, while the names of sanctioned players in the lower divisions were not made public.

TFF officially announced the decisions following its extensive inquiry. The Professional Football Disciplinary Board (PFDK) confirmed that 102 players were suspended for betting on football matches or facilitating betting activities, with penalties ranging from 45 days to 12 months. While the sanctions for Super Lig and First Division players were shared with the public, the specific penalties for those in the lower leagues were not disclosed. The announcement has generated significant discussion within the Turkish football community.

Longest Ban: 12 Months — Shortest Ban: 45 Days

According to PFDK’s decision, 102 players received varying lengths of suspensions. The longest ban was 12 months, while the shortest was 45 days. The penalties were distributed among the clubs as follows:

Alanyaspor

• Izzet Çelik: 3 months

• Enes Keskin: 3 months

• Yusuf Özdemir: 9 months

• Bedirhan Özyurt: 3 months

Antalyaspor

• Kerem Kayaarası: 45 days

Çaykur Rizespor

• Efe Doğan: 45 days

• Furkan Onak: 3 months

Eyüpspor

• Mükremin Arda Türköz: 45 days

Galatasaray

• Metehan Baltacı: 9 months

• Eren Elmalı: 45 days

Gaziantep FK

• Taha Güneş: 45 days

• Nazım Sangare: 45 days

Göztepe

• İzzet Furkan Malak: 45 days

• Uğur Kaan Yıldız: 45 days

Karagümrük

• Furkan Bekleviç: 45 days

• Kerem Yusuf Sirkeci: 3 months

Kayserispor

• Berkan Aslan: 3 months

• Abdulsamet Burak: 12 months

Kasımpaşa

• Ege Albayrak: 45 days

• Ali Emre Yanar: 45 days

Konyaspor

• Adil Demirbağ: 45 days

• Alassane Ndao: 12 months

Samsunspor

• Celil Yüksel: 45 days

Trabzonspor

• Boran Başkan: 3 months

• Salih Malkoçoğlu: 45 days

The Only Foreign Player Penalized: Alassane Ndao

Among all suspended players, Alassane Ndao was the only foreign footballer to receive a penalty a 12-month suspension. Following the announcement, significant details about his case surfaced. Ndao’s agent, Doğan Ercan, stated that the betting transactions were carried out without the player’s knowledge.

Ercan explained that the bets were placed “from Ndao’s phone without him knowing”, during a 2–3 month period last year on a legal betting website involving leagues outside Turkey. He added that the person responsible frequently accompanied Ndao, entered club facilities, and even sold goods to African players.

He continued:

“This person often took Ndao’s phone under the pretext of sending packages to people in need in Senegal. Bank records also show withdrawals made without his knowledge. The club will share security footage of this person with TFF.”

Ercan stressed that Ndao had no personal involvement in betting, and all transactions took place while the player was either training or playing matches. Once Ndao discovered unauthorized withdrawals, he immediately closed his account.

Necip Uysal and Ersin Destanoğlu Cleared of Wrongdoing

Beşiktaş players Necip Uysal and Ersin Destanoğlu, whose names appeared during the investigation, were ultimately not penalized. Both players claimed that their personal information had been used without their consent and filed criminal complaints.

Uysal stated that a fraudulent betting account had been opened in his name, insisting he had never taken part in any betting activity, saying:

“I’ve never even been near betting in my life.”

Similarly, Destanoğlu filed a complaint after seeing his name listed. He explained that his identity information had been stolen, accounts were opened without his knowledge, and that the federation made the list public without notifying the players beforehand. He emphasized that none of the activity associated with his name belonged to him.

Following an internal review, both players were found to have been mistakenly included in the list, and the administrative measures against them were lifted.

How Were the Penalties Determined?

Neither TFF nor PFDK has provided an official explanation regarding the criteria used to determine suspension lengths. However, within football circles, the prevailing belief is that the penalties were influenced by how long ago the betting activity occurred.

A frequently cited example is Eren Elmalı, who reportedly admitted to placing bets during his time at Silivrispor but had no involvement in betting afterward. For this reason, he is believed to have received the minimum penalty.

Conversely, players suspected of engaging in betting more recently are thought to have received longer suspensions. Still, these assessments remain speculative, as no official criteria have been publicly outlined.

Players involved in the case also retain the right to appeal, meaning some suspensions may be modified after further review.