Turkish Football Federation (TFF) Executive Board Member Ural Aküzüm has officially resigned from his position following his referral to the Professional Football Disciplinary Board (PFDK) over alleged betting violations.
The sudden resignation arrives as part of an unprecedented, industry-wide disciplinary probe launched by the TFF Legal Committee, targeting current and former administrators across the country’s top two divisions.
Disciplinary Referral Triggers Immediate Resignation
The TFF Legal Counsel referred 448 officials across the Süper Lig and TFF 1. Lig to the PFDK after extensive financial and compliance audits uncovered evidence of active betting accounts held during their administrative tenures over the past five years.
Aküzüm—who previously served as a board member at Galatasaray before taking up his executive council post at the TFF—was named among those cited for infractions originating from his period in club governance. Confirming his decision to step down in an official statement, Aküzüm emphasized that his resignation was necessary to protect the institutional reputation of the federation and ensure the transparency of ongoing legal proceedings.
Broad Sweep Across Turkish Football Governance
The investigation marks one of the most comprehensive integrity crackdowns in modern Turkish sports history, examining executive actions spanning the 2021 through 2026 seasons.
Alongside Aküzüm, the TFF’s published referral list includes a wide array of prominent football executives. Former Galatasaray administrators Emir Aral, Özgür Işıtan Gün, Ali Yüce, and Maruf Güneş were similarly cited, reflecting a zero-tolerance policy enforced by the federation’s legal department.
With the PFDK now reviewing individual files to determine potential bans or administrative sanctions, the governing body reaffirmed its commitment to stripping improper betting practices out of domestic football structures entirely.
