Allegations of Pay-to-Play Scandal at Altay: Youth Players Made Professional for Money

It is alleged that some youth players at Altay, a club in the TFF 2nd League, were promoted to professional status in exchange for money.

Parents of some players in the club’s youth teams have claimed that the club demanded money from families in order to sign professional contracts with their children. Despite having limited playing time in the youth academy, it was reported that two young players were made professional in exchange for money and then loaned out to other clubs.

Normally, young players who turn professional should be paid by the club, but in this case, it seems the opposite is happening at the İzmir-based club. A parent from Altay said, “Our children are not being made professional despite deserving it. The son of a former executive and the son of a wealthy family were promoted to professional status. We can’t even take our children out of the club; they are demanding a training compensation fee.”

Altay, who has been unable to strengthen its squad due to a transfer ban, has also been facing financial difficulties for a long time.