Sports
Turkish sport rides glorious 2025 despite TFF betting scandal dent
From historic individual breakthroughs to title-winning runs at home and abroad and from global milestones to scandals that shook the foundations of football, Turkish sport packed 2025 with defining moments that revealed both its rising power and its deepest vulnerabilities.
The year unfolded as a study in contrast. Athletes delivered world titles, Olympic-level performances and long-awaited breakthroughs, while administrators and federations grappled with credibility crises that spilled far beyond the field of play, culminating in a reckoning for Turkish football’s governance.
January set the tone with milestones and controversy arriving side by side.
NBA center Alperen Şengün became only the second Turkish player after Mehmet Okur to be selected for an NBA All-Star Game, earning coaches’ votes after emerging as the cornerstone of the Houston Rockets with averages of 19.1 points, 10.4 rebounds and five assists.
His selection marked a coming-of-age moment for Turkish basketball on the global stage.
Football, however, entered turbulent waters early.
Amid mounting criticism over officiating standards and perceived inconsistency, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) announced it would deploy foreign VAR referees for the Süper Lig’s second half, a temporary fix that signaled eroding trust in domestic systems and foreshadowed deeper problems to come.
February delivered momentum across disciplines, particularly for para sports.
Archer Öznur Cüre Girdi and coach Yusuf Göktuğ Ergin received World Archery honors, while the Women’s National Goalball Team and para swimmer Umut Ünlü were named Europe’s best by the European Paralympic Committee.
Domestic football drama escalated when Adana Demirspor walked off the pitch during a match at Galatasaray, igniting disciplinary proceedings and fierce debate over governance, fairness and accountability.
The incident intensified scrutiny of the federation at a time when confidence in match integrity was already fragile.
Basketball provided balance. The women’s national team completed EuroBasket qualifiers unbeaten and Fenerbahçe Beko lifted the Turkish Cup with a commanding victory over Beşiktaş.
March became a medal rush.
At the European Airgun Championships, Türkiye topped the table with eight medals, led by Şevval Ilayda Tarhan, who became the first Turkish woman to win five medals at a single European event.
Turkish women wrestlers claimed three golds at the U-23 European Championships, while boxer Busenaz Sürmeneli captured another world title as Türkiye finished the Women’s World Boxing Championships with six medals.
Administrative change followed, with Ahmet Gülüm elected president of the Turkish National Olympic Committee, signaling renewal at a time when governance would soon dominate headlines elsewhere.
April belonged to club dominance.
Ziraat Bankkart completed a rare double by winning both the Efeler Ligi and the CEV Cup.
VakıfBank reclaimed the Sultanlar Ligi crown and Fenerbahçe Opet swept the Women’s Basketball League playoffs.
Internationally, Greco-Roman wrestler Kerem Kamal and a trio of Turkish weightlifters delivered European golds, reinforcing Türkiye’s strength in Olympic disciplines.
May brought silverware on every front.
Fenerbahçe Beko captured the EuroLeague title with a final victory over Monaco, while Galatasaray completed a domestic double by lifting both the Süper Lig and Turkish Cup.
Individual brilliance followed, with gymnast Adem Asil winning two European golds and teenage weightlifter Fatmagül Çevik claiming junior world gold.
June closed the first half with strong finishes.
The National Women’s Basketball Team secured its place in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, while Alves Kablo underlined Türkiye’s dominance in amputee football by winning the Champions League final in emphatic fashion.
Summer of extremes
The summer months amplified the contrasts.
June opened with Alves Kablo’s 6-1 demolition of Wisla Krakow in the Amputee Football Champions League final.
The men’s national football team split results on its U.S. tour, while Fenerbahçe confirmed Acun Ilıcalı’s departure from the board.
In basketball, the women’s national team finished seventh at EuroBasket, earning a World Cup qualifying spot after a demanding campaign.
Tradition took center stage when Cutha, ridden by Ahmet Çelik, won the 99th Gazi Race.
July delivered history.
Zeynep Sönmez became the first Turkish player in 75 years to reach the third round of a Grand Slam singles draw, rewriting national tennis history at Wimbledon.
Swimmer Kuzey Tunçelli claimed his third straight European junior 1500m freestyle title, while Orhan Okulu secured his third Kırkpınar oil wrestling crown.
Off the pitch, Galatasaray shattered transfer records by signing Victor Osimhen from Napoli for 75 million euros ($88 million), the most expensive move in Turkish football history, a deal that symbolized ambition even as institutional confidence wavered.
August turned volatile.
Jose Mourinho departed Fenerbahçe after one season, Beşiktaş welcomed back Sergen Yalçın and European qualifiers delivered both dramatic comebacks and painful exits.
The month was also marked by loss, with legendary broadcaster Ümit Aktan dying at 76.
Autumn reckoning
September belonged to national teams.
The men’s basketball team surged to EuroBasket silver, while the women’s volleyball team reached a World Championship final for the first time, claiming historic silver after a narrow loss to Italy.
Para swimmer Defne Kurt stunned the world with five gold medals at the World Para Swimming Championships and teenage chess player Ediz Gürel shocked reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju.
October became the year’s most defining month.
Motorcycle star Toprak Razgatlıoğlu clinched his third World Superbike title, confirming his status as one of Türkiye’s greatest-ever athletes.
Fenerbahçe Medicana won the Women’s Champions Cup, becoming the competition’s most successful club.
Scandalous TFF
Yet football faced its deepest crisis. The TFF disclosed that 371 of 571 referees assigned to professional leagues held betting accounts, with 152 found to be actively wagering.
The revelation by the TFF President Ibrahim Hacıosmanoğlu triggered mass disciplinary action, led to suspensions across lower divisions and shattered public trust.
The fallout widened when more than 1,000 players were referred to disciplinary boards, forcing clubs, fans and sponsors to confront the scale of the integrity breach.
What began months earlier as officiating disputes and VAR controversies had now evolved into a full-blown institutional scandal, exposing systemic failures in oversight and enforcement.
November offered rare on-field relief amid the turbulence.
The men’s national football team moved a step closer to ending a 24-year World Cup absence by defeating Bulgaria 2-0 in Bursa, clinching at least second place in Group E and guaranteeing a spot in UEFA’s 2026 World Cup playoffs.
Captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s first-half penalty set the tone before a late own goal sealed a controlled performance in front of more than 42,000 fans.
The victory lifted Türkiye to 12 points from five matches and secured their place in the European playoff system, where Montella’s side entered as a top-seeded team, positioned for a home semifinal in March 2026.
While direct qualification remained unlikely due to goal difference, the result restored belief at a moment when confidence in Turkish football had been badly shaken off the pitch.
Narcotics shocker
The year almost closed with another shock.
Fenerbahçe President Sadettin Saran came under intensified legal scrutiny after prosecutors confirmed a hair sample tested positive for cocaine during an ongoing narcotics investigation.
While blood, urine and nail samples were negative, the forensic findings escalated pressure on one of Turkish sport’s most powerful figures despite him dismissing the allegations as a smear campaign.
Saran was released under judicial supervision, with the investigation ongoing and no final ruling announced.
However, December was not all doom and gloom, with flashes of promise and pride patching the dents.
Fourteen-year-old chess prodigy Yağız Kaan Erdoğmuş announced himself on the world stage by finishing a remarkable 15th at the FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship in Doha, producing a performance rating of 2728 and earning rare praise from Magnus Carlsen, who called him “the best 14-year-old the world has ever seen.”
Strength athlete Burak Yazgı added another global milestone by reclaiming the Guinness World Record for the heaviest single-repetition Turkish Get-Up, lifting 116.8 kilograms to restore a title he has now held twice and underline Türkiye’s growing presence beyond traditional sporting arenas.
Real Madrid have reached an agreement with Türkiye midfielder Arda Güler on a contract extension that will keep him at the Spanish giants until 2031, local media reported Monday.
The 21-year-old, whose current contract runs until 2029, has agreed to a two-year extension until 2031, according to Madrid-based sports daily AS; it will be his first contract renewal since joining Real Madrid.
The extension would keep Güler at Real Madrid for at least another five years.
The new agreement also includes a salary increase reflecting Güler’s growing importance in the team, the report said.
Following the reports, German football database website Transfermarkt updated Güler’s current market value to €100 million ($112 million) from €90 million ($100.8 million).
Güler has started five matches so far this season under Jose Mourinho.
The Türkiye international also played an important role last season, making 40 starts and finishing the campaign with six goals and a team-high 14 assists.
Güler joined Real Madrid from Turkish club Fenerbahce in 2023 and is now in his fourth season with the Spanish side.
AS said Real Madrid view Güler as an important player for both the present and future, with coaches who have worked with him during his time at the club highlighting his quality and potential for further development.
Mourinho also praised the Turkish international’s influence on the team.
“For me, his playing quality is incredible: the vision, the decision-making, the organization of play, the stability he gives the team, the creation,” he said.
“He is a player with fantastic potential who already has very interesting numbers, and they are not only assists and goals. They come from a deeper analysis. He’s a young man who has a great influence.”
Türkiye suffered their fourth consecutive UEFA Nations League defeat Monday as Italy claimed a 3-1 victory in Bologna, leaving the Crescent-Stars rooted to the bottom of Group 1 without a point.
Goals from Gianluca Scamacca, Riccardo Calafiori and Pio Esposito secured the victory for Italy at the Renato Dall’Ara Stadium, while Aral Şimşir scored Türkiye’s lone goal.
Italy started brightly, with Scamacca firing narrowly wide in the 11th minute, but Türkiye soon began creating chances of their own.
Irfan Can Kahveci threatened after breaking onto a through ball before losing control, while Gianluigi Donnarumma was called into action to deny Ozan Kabak and Salih Özcan.
Italy broke the deadlock in the 26th minute when Antonio Vergara’s deflected cross fell to Scamacca, who fired in off the underside of the crossbar.
Türkiye continued to push and were rewarded in the 61st minute. A deflection off Eren Elmalı sent the ball into the path of Şimşir, who converted from close range to level the score.
The hosts responded almost immediately.
Nicolo Barella’s free kick found Calafiori, whose header beat Uğurcan Çakır in the 65th minute to restore Italy’s advantage.
Türkiye came close to another equalizer in the 77th minute when Yunus Akgün picked out Özcan, but Donnarumma produced a strong save to preserve Italy’s lead.
Esposito then put the result beyond doubt late on, converting from inside the penalty area to make it 3-1.
The victory continued Italy’s improved run under returning coach Roberto Mancini and strengthened their bid for a Nations League quarterfinal place.
Türkiye, meanwhile, remain without a point after four matches and sit bottom of the group following their fourth straight defeat.
Italy moved to seven points in second place after recording their second victory in three matches.
Türkiye will host Belgium on Nov. 12, while Italy welcome France on the same day.
Lionel Messi will play his final match for Argentina Tuesday in a farewell friendly against Benin, marking the end of his international career for the South American champions.
After more than two decades of service to his country, the 39-year-old superstar will hand over the captain’s armband for good as he makes his final appearance in the Albiceleste jersey at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.
Messi will be joined for his international swansong by 85,000 spectators and several of the teammates with whom he reached the pinnacle of football at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, alongside members of Argentina’s emerging generation.
The friendly marks a symbolic passing of the torch for a player whose international legacy includes a World Cup title, two Copa America crowns and the Finalissima.
Messi also bows out as Argentina’s record appearance-maker and leading scorer, with 125 goals in 207 games, as well as a record 68 assists.
His farewell comes two and a half months after Argentina’s ill-tempered World Cup final defeat to Spain in New Jersey, where Messi exited in tears after making little impression.
“I gave it my all; I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are great young players coming up who deserve their chance,” Messi wrote when announcing his international retirement in August.
Messi remains under contract with Inter Miami until 2028, although following the death of his father, Jorge, two months ago, he revealed he may hang up his boots for good sooner than anticipated.
Friends reunited
Members of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad – the players who delivered the country’s third star – and their families will join Messi for Tuesday’s farewell against Benin, ranked 93rd in the world.
Veterans of that Doha triumph such as Angel Di Maria, who retired from international football in 2024, will be there to witness the passing of the torch to a new generation charged with extending the Albiceleste’s golden era.
Several of the newcomers, including Franco Mastantuono and Leonel Flores, were not even born when “La Pulga” (“The Flea”) made his Argentina debut in 2005 for a team whose history had for so long been dominated by Diego Maradona.
“It’s going to be an unforgettable day for everyone. Everyone wants to be at this match, and now it’s just about enjoying it,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said.
Argentina’s new generation has already shown what it can do without its captain, although nobody is pretending replacing a man regarded by many as the greatest footballer in history will be straightforward.
“Collectively, we will try to fill the void left by Leo,” said Scaloni, who is negotiating a contract extension after leaving his future unresolved following the World Cup defeat in July.
Scaloni, who mastered the art of building the right supporting cast around Messi, will also say goodbye on Tuesday to 38-year-old vice-captain Nicolas Otamendi.
Like Messi and Otamendi, midfielders Rodrigo De Paul and Giovani Lo Celso were called up solely for the Benin game, raising the possibility that neither will represent Argentina again.
New generation
Those certain to be involved, at least from the bench, include other veterans of the 2022 World Cup who will be the standard-bearers for Argentina after Messi: defender Cristian Romero, midfielders Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernandez, and forwards Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez.
Tenacious center-back Romero is set to inherit the captain’s armband, first worn by Messi at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and Lautaro Martinez are next in the captaincy hierarchy.
They have already begun to rally around Messi’s heirs, who showed their appetite for success in Argentina’s first game since the World Cup final, against Bolivia in Cordoba Wednesday.
Argentina swept the Bolivians aside 4-0, with young talents Nico Paz and Jose Manuel Lopez among the scorers.
They followed that victory with a 7-0 rout of Burkina Faso at the Monumental on Saturday, with Mastantuono and Gianluca Prestianni scoring their first international goals.
While Argentina’s future is beginning to take shape, one small but symbolically significant question remains: who inherits Messi’s No. 10 shirt?
“We won’t give the No. 10 to anyone until Leo’s match takes place,” Scaloni said. “After that, we’ll see.”
Carlos Alcaraz overcame serving struggles to defeat fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 Monday, reaching the Japan Open final as he seeks his first singles title since returning from a wrist injury.
He will face Czech Jiri Lehecka in Tuesday’s final.
Defending champion Alcaraz completed the career Grand Slam by capturing the Australian Open title in February but suffered the injury two months later and only came back at the U.S. Open, where a quarterfinal run hinted at a swift return to form.
The 23-year-old, who moved through the gears during Team Europe’s triumphant Laver Cup campaign last month, looked comfortable against qualifier Munar in Tokyo at 5-4 before gifting him the opening set with two shaky service games.
“I don’t know what happened in the first set,” said top seed Alcaraz, who dropped 16 consecutive points at the end of it.
“I started the match well, got a break and was serving for the set, but I don’t know what happened. It seems like I’m struggling every first set.
“But the way that I come back every time, I think I’m just really happy about it. Jaume’s a pretty tough player and these conditions suit him pretty well. I just tried to stay there as much as I could.
“I made a couple of breaks that helped a lot to get a bit of confidence, then I started to play more aggressively.”
After a sluggish start to the second set, Alcaraz raised his level to force a decider and the seven-times major champion wore world number 49 Munar down with stunning shot-making to book a title clash with Lehecka Tuesday.
Lehecka beat eighth seed Valentin Vacherot 6-4 6-2 to make the final and stay on course for his first trophy of the season.
Portugal became the first team to reach the Nations League quarterfinals with a 2-1 win over Norway Sunday, while Jürgen Klopp’s Germany was held to a draw by Greece.
The Portuguese showed they did not need Cristiano Ronaldo, who walked out of the camp Wednesday when coach Jorge Jesus relegated him to the bench.
Goncalo Ramos secured victory in the 86th minute after Joao Cancelo’s powerful finish had leveled Kristoffer Ajer’s stunning opener from outside the penalty area for World Cup quarterfinalists Norway.
After the game, Jesus said he was prepared to allow 41-year-old Ronaldo to return to the national team – but that it would have to be the player’s decision.
“If he wants to, he’ll return to the national team … we can talk before the next call-up, but Cris is the one who’s going to decide,” Jesus told reporters.
Klopp’s Germany failed to break down a resolute Greek side in a goalless stalemate in Thessaloniki.
Germany had the ball in the net through Eintracht Frankfurt forward Jonathan Burkardt in the first half but his effort was disallowed.
Klopp’s record as new German boss now reads: lost one, won one, drawn one.
The Netherlands beat Serbia 2-1 thanks to Joshua Zirkzee’s winner to move top of their Nations League group.
The Manchester United forward was a second-half substitute in Eindhoven and applied the decisive touch with a tap-in from Tijjani Reijnders’ cross.
The match also marked Virgil van Dijk’s 100th international appearance.
New Netherlands coach Xavi is unbeaten after four games, with two wins and two draws.
Israel’s players wore black armbands in their 1-1 draw against Ireland to commemorate Oct. 7, after Irish players had worn them in the previous match in Hungary to protest the genocidal war on Gaza.
The simple black armbands worn by the Israelis were inscribed with the numbers “7.10” to mark the date of the attack.
Just as in last week’s first match which Ireland won 3-0, the Irish players again bowed their heads during the Israeli anthem and the teams refused to shake hands before the match in the small Serbian town of Backa Topola.
The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) had refused to host Israel on Irish soil for security reasons, following boycott calls.
On Sunday, Troy Parrott put Ireland ahead from the penalty spot after 39 minutes after Dor Peretz fouled Jimmy Dunne.
But Peretz stabbed in an equalizer two minutes after half time, sending in from close range after a shot deflected off Ireland defender Liam Scales and into his path.
The result complicates Ireland’s qualification task as they now lie third in Group 3 of League B behind Austria and Kosovo. Israel are bottom with two points.
Wales lost again, as Rasmus Hojlund slotted in a 75th minute penalty to earn Denmark a 1-0 win in Cardiff.
Welsh goalkeeper Danny Ward had kept the Danes at bay with a string of saves but he conceded the penalty when he fouled Denmark midfielder Gustav Isaksen.
Whether navigating turbulent ocean currents or analyzing the intricacies of global power grids, Turkish engineer and open-water swimmer Nazife İdil Özkol relies on a unified philosophy: read the data accurately, adapt to changing conditions and persevere.
Özkol’s dual career path recently gained international recognition when she received the “Future Leader” award at the Talented Woman in Modern Industry 2026 awards in Russia.
Her athletic pursuits matched her professional achievements as she earned a third-place podium finish at the X-Waters open-water swimming race in Moscow.
Educated in electrical engineering and energy at Technical University of Sofia and Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Özkol focuses on the intersection of energy economics, artificial intelligence and infrastructure.
“Engineering taught me how to think and sports taught me how to apply that thinking under uncertainty and pressure,” Özkol said.
“Engineering taught me how to build a system, and sports taught me how to adapt when the system doesn’t work as expected,” she added.
Özkol’s journey in athletics began in her youth after a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) prompted her to channel her energy into structured discipline.
Moving from modern pentathlon and biathlon into open-water swimming, she competed in major domestic events, including the Iznik and Bosporus races.
“In the pool, everything is controlled,” Özkol said. “In open water, waves, currents, temperature, and wind change. You continuously read the environment and re-evaluate your direction and pace.”
That analytical approach proved decisive during the X-Waters competition in Moscow, where Özkol represented Türkiye among competitors from around 12 countries in what organizers dubbed a world championship event.
“When I finished the race, I didn’t even know I had finished third,” Özkol said. “Long-distance racing is primarily a mental battle. Reaching the podium in an international event as a Turkish female athlete was a source of great pride.”
Beyond athletics, Özkol’s professional research concentrates on industrial energy efficiency and the dual nature of emerging digital infrastructure.
She noted that while artificial intelligence offers optimization and grid management solutions, its operation generates substantial energy demand.
Looking ahead, Özkol anticipates a fundamental shift in global energy dynamics over the next two decades toward real-time data analysis, smart grids and demand-side management.
“The question of the future will not be ‘How much energy do we produce?’ but ‘How smartly can we manage the energy we produce and consume?'” Özkol said.
Özkol also emphasized the necessity of systemic equity for women across science, technology, engineering and sports, arguing that institutional backing must precede athletic or professional milestones.
“Support for women should not be given after success, but right at the beginning,” she said.
“Training, financial support, sponsorship and visibility are not favors; they are conditions for equality. The presence of women in science, engineering and sports is not an ‘inspirational story,’ but a matter of rights,” said Özkol.
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