KÜHEYLAN HUKUK
Football Players and Referees Betting: TFF Disciplinary Penalty, Criminal Investigation and Objection Ways Football Disciplinary Instruction Art.57, PFDK and Arbitration Board process, its impact on the contract and criminal law dimension have been updated as of 2026
The betting investigation, which started in the autumn of 2025, turned into a comprehensive disciplinary process never seen before in Turkish football. About a thousand football players were referred to the Professional Football Disciplinary Board as a precaution; Hundreds of people who served as referees, observers and representatives received sentences ranging from two to twelve months. Article 57 of the Football Disciplinary Order prohibits betting on football, even if it is played on a legal site. The guide covers the scope of the ban, how the penalty is determined, the seven-day period for appeal to the Arbitration Board, the effect of the penalty on the player's contract and the consequences of the same act in terms of criminal law.
1. How did the investigation begin and who does it involve?
After the Turkish Football Federation announced in October 2025 that some of the active referees had betting accounts, the investigation expanded to include football players. On November 10, 2025, 1024 football players playing in different leagues from the Super League to the 3rd League were cautiously referred to PFDK by the TFF Legal Consultancy. The cautious referral resulted in the football player not being able to play in official competitions before the penalty was finalized. In January 2026, 489 people acting as referees, observers and representatives were given sentences ranging from two months to twelve months.
The scale of the investigation showed that disciplinary law can directly affect not only club managers but also young football players playing for low wages in the lower leagues. The decisions made in these files have long-term consequences in terms of contracts, transfers and career planning.
Article 57 of the FDT provides for two separate prohibitions. Firstly, persons within the scope of the instruction are prohibited from betting or similar games of chance, directly or indirectly, on football matches or any football-related activity. Secondly, these persons cannot have direct or indirect duties or interests in non-public organizations that regulate, promote or mediate football betting. The person who violates the ban is punished with a ban from competitions or deprivation of rights for three months to one year.
The article does not distinguish between betting on a legal or illegal site. The football player who makes bets for foreign league matches on a platform operating with the authorization of Spor Toto is also responsible for discipline. On the other hand, since the administrative fine in Law No. 7258 is only for unauthorized betting, betting on a legal platform does not constitute a misdemeanor in terms of criminal law. This distinction is the main reason why disciplinary and administrative sanction processes can result differently for the same football player.
The term "indirect" also includes betting on the account of a relative or a third party, rather than on the player's own behalf. The most discussed issue in practice is proving who actually uses the account. If the account owner is a family member, the device on which the transactions were made, IP records and money movements are evaluated together.
Footballer Bet on any football match FDT article 57/2: Deprivation of rights between 3 months and 1 year For illegal sites, 7258 m.5/1-d administrative fine
Referee, observer, representative Betting on football Disenfranchisement, licensing and classification procedures Match-fixing investigation if there is a connection with the match he was officiating
Club Advertising of unlicensed betting site FDT article 57/3: increased fine and deletion of 3 points depending on the league 7258 Article 5/1-ç advertising crime (in terms of responsible real persons)
Everyone Aim to influence the outcome of one's own match Match-fixing provisions in FDT, heavy ban penalties 6222 Article 11 match-fixing crime; If it is committed for betting purposes, the penalty increases by half.
3. How is the penalty determined?
Although the basic range in the instruction is three months to one year, it was seen that a significant portion of the football players were given 45-day punishment in the first decisions of the PFDK. This result arises from the application of the discount provisions in the instruction according to the concrete case. The main criteria that determine the severity of the punishment in practice are:
Whether the bet is for the match of the player's own team, his own league or the opposing team,
Whether the football player has received disciplinary punishment before and his attitude throughout the process,
The degree of proof that the account is used personally by the football player.
A football player betting on his own match or against his own team is the most serious situation that causes the upper limit of the penalty range to be approached and the case to turn into a criminal investigation.
1. Referral and precaution: TFF Legal Consultancy refers the file to PFDK; If deemed necessary, precautions will be taken and the player cannot play until the decision is made.
2. Defense: A written defense is given by examining the referral letter and the findings attached to it. At this stage, the source from which the bet report was taken, who owns the account, and which matches were bet on should be clearly discussed at this stage.
3. PFDK decision: The Board evaluates the defense and imposes a penalty or decides that there is no need to impose a penalty.
4. Objection to the Arbitration Board: An objection to the decision is made to the TFF Arbitration Board within seven days from the notification, by paying the application fee stipulated in the instruction. Duration is derogatory. As a rule, an objection does not stop the execution of the sentence; The suspension must also be requested.
5. Finalization: The decisions of the Arbitration Board are final in accordance with the third paragraph of Article 59 of the Constitution and cannot be taken to judicial authorities.
Is there any other way after the decision of the Arbitration Board?
The Constitutional Court considers individual applications against the decisions of the Arbitration Board among the transactions excluded from judicial review by the Constitution and finds them unacceptable due to lack of jurisdiction in terms of the subject (AYM, Ziya Özel, B. No: 2015/1996, 10.05.2018). In its decision Ali Rıza and Others v. Türkiye (2020), the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the right to a fair trial was violated in terms of the structural independence of the TFF Arbitration Board. For this reason, the possibility of applying to the ECHR after domestic remedies have been exhausted is an option that should be evaluated separately in each case. The Arbitration Board stage is the last and most decisive stage in practice; The objection petition must be prepared with this awareness.
Article 27 of the Regulation on the Status and Transfers of Professional Football Players considers a player's final deprivation of rights or ban from the competition for a period of at least six months as a justifiable reason for termination for the club. In this case, the club may terminate the contract with a notary notice within thirty days from the date of learning of the incident. Sentences less than six months do not give rise to the right of termination within the scope of this paragraph.
This regulation explains why it is vital for the football player to reduce the penalty to less than six months at the Arbitration Board stage. Exceeding the six-month limit may result in the player losing both jersey and contract security at the same time. In addition, since FIFA disciplinary rules allow the penalty imposed upon the request of the national federation to be applied worldwide, transfer abroad during the suspension period is often not a way out.
A football player betting on an illegal site is a misdemeanor that requires an administrative fine in accordance with Article 5/1-d of Law No. 7258; In this respect, they are not subject to a different regime than other citizens. However, if the bet is for a match in which the person can influence the outcome, the picture changes completely. Article 11 of Law No. 6222 punishes obtaining benefits or agreeing to influence the outcome of a particular competition with a prison sentence of one to three years. If the crime is committed with the aim of influencing the results of betting games, the penalty is increased by half; Postponement of the announcement of the verdict, postponement and alternative sanctions cannot be applied in this crime.
The disciplinary process and the criminal trial proceed independently of each other. PFDK may make a decision before the criminal case is concluded; The acquittal decision of the criminal court does not automatically cancel the disciplinary decision. For this reason, the statements made in the two processes must be compatible with each other and it must be known that the confession in one file can be used as adverse evidence in the other.
A 22-year-old football player playing in the 3rd League made a total of 30 bets for foreign league matches on a legal betting platform during the two seasons he was licensed. He did not bet on the match of his own team or league. The football player was referred to PFDK as a precautionary measure and received a 4-month deprivation of rights. The club is considering terminating the contract.
The fact that the bet was placed on a legal platform does not remove liability in terms of FDT Article 57; However, since an authorized platform is used, there is no administrative fine within the scope of Law No. 7258. Since the penalty is less than six months, the club cannot make justified termination based on PFSTT article 27/1-b. It is decisive in terms of reducing the penalty if the football player objects to the Arbitration Board within seven days and reveals that there is no betting on his own matches, the amounts are low, it is the first disciplinary file and his attitude of cooperation. Along with the objection, the suspension of the execution of the measure and the sentence must also be requested.
Will a football player be penalized if he bets on a basketball or tennis match?
FDT article 57 prohibits betting on football matches and football-related activities. Betting on other sports is not within the scope of this article; However, if the game is played on an illegal site, the administrative fine specified in Law No. 7258 will be imposed.
I placed the bets before I became a professional, am I still responsible?
It is intended for people within the scope of the prohibited order. Whether the football player has a license at the time of the betting is one of the main questions of the defense and a detailed breakdown on a date-by-date basis should be requested.
Does an appeal to the Arbitration Board stop the punishment?
As a rule, it does not stop. The request for suspension must be put forward separately and with justification in the objection petition.
Is it a crime for the referee to bet on a match that he did not officiate?
A bet placed on a match in which the player is not involved and has no possibility of influencing the outcome does not constitute the crime of match-fixing; It results in disciplinary sanctions and administrative fines if played on an illegal site. A connection with the officiating match directly brings the criminal investigation to the agenda.
Can the club cut the salary of a player who receives a betting penalty?
Unless there is a clear and equitable provision in this direction in the contract, unilateral deduction of the wage is controversial. The duration of the sentence and the contract provisions should be examined together.
Missing the seven-day period for appealing to the Arbitration Board or not paying the application fee on time. Ignoring disciplinary defense with the thought "I played on a legal site".
Claiming without documentation that the account belongs to a relative.
Making statements in disciplinary defense that could be used adversely in criminal investigations.
To object in cases where the sentence is close to the six-month limit, without concretizing the reasons for the reduction.
In betting cases, the real risk facing the football player is often the chain effect of this punishment on the contract, transfer and career, rather than the disciplinary penalty itself. In this field, where the final decision is given by the Arbitration Board and there is no other control authority in domestic law, the quality of the objection to be prepared within the seven-day period directly determines the result.
Küheylan Law Firm provides legal support in the preparation of the defenses of football players, referees and club managers referred to PFDK, objections to the Arbitration Board and management of parallel criminal investigations within the framework of a single strategy. Reading the disciplinary and penalty processes together is decisive in preventing contradictions between statements.
Important Legal Notice: The legal explanations contained in this guide have been prepared by Küheylan Law Firm for general information purposes and do not constitute legal advice. In sports law, federation instructions change frequently, objection and application periods are short; Since each file has its own unique conditions, it is recommended to get support from a lawyer before taking action. © 2026 Küheylan Law Firm. All rights reserved.
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