A Turkish court ordered the preventive detention of 20 suspects, including Super Lig players, in an investigation into illegal betting that, according to the main Turkish football official, could expand as more data is collected.
Last week, prosecutors ordered the arrest of 46 people, including players, club presidents, commentators and a referee, on suspicion of involvement in insider betting in Turkey’s professional leagues.
State news agency Anadolu reported on Tuesday (8) that among those detained last week, Galatasaray player Metehan Baltaci and Fenerbahçe player Mert Hakan Yandas, as well as former Adana Demirspor president Murat Sancak, were formally arrested.
The scale of the current investigation is comparable to previous investigations into betting and match-fixing carried out in recent decades in China, South Korea, Italy and other European countries.
COVERED CRIMES
“For years, Turkish football’s problems have been swept under the carpet,” Turkish Football Federation President Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu said at a press conference.
“Disgraceful decisions were made, crimes were covered up, and the only responsibility for our current situation is the lack of political will.”
He indicated that the federation’s investigation could be expanded once it receives data from Spor Toto, Turkey’s state sports betting company, regarding match observers, coaches, managers and others involved in football.
“The data has not yet arrived. We want the public to know that we will take appropriate action as soon as we receive it,” he said.
In a hearing on Monday (6), Baltaci told the court that he had placed bets on some matches when he was a youth player and that he had not placed any more bets after joining Galatasaray’s first team, according to Anadolu news agency.
Fenerbahçe’s Yandas, according to the Sabah newspaper, said in his statement that he denied involvement in betting.
Sancak told the court that he did not have a betting account and had never bet on games, according to the Cumhuriyet newspaper.
Representatives of the two players and the club’s former manager could not immediately be reached for comment.
Last month, the Turkish Football Federation suspended 149 referees and assistants after an investigation found that professional league officials were betting on matches.
The investigation expanded with the arrest of eight people, including the president of a first division club, and the suspension of 1,024 players from all leagues, on whom the federation imposed punishments.
The trial date has not yet been set.
