Mohamed Salah thought he would find calm in Trabzon after nine years at Liverpool. Having arrived this summer on a two-year deal, the Egyptian forward now finds himself in a league rocked by a scandal that keeps growing. And his own club has been hit at the very top.
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) announced it has referred some 450 club officials to its disciplinary committee as part of an investigation into illegal betting. All of them « held executive positions at clubs during the 2026-2027 season and were found to have placed bets while in office over the past five years », the body added. The list includes the president of Trabzonspor, the vice-president of Besiktas, several former and current officials of Galatasaray, Victor Osimhen’s club, as well as three former Fenerbahçe executives. Put simply, none of Turkey’s giants has been spared.
Refereeing caught up too
The TFF’s announcement comes right after the arrest of the head of Turkish refereeing and six other suspects. The statement makes no link to that case, but recalls the suspension, a year ago, of 149 referees suspected of involvement in a betting scandal. For Salah and Osimhen alike, Turkish football is taking a battering, and the action on the pitch has been pushed into the background.