Turkish football is going through one of the deepest crises in its recent history. The Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office ordered preventive detention for 20 of the 35 people detained in the framework of an investigation for illegal sports betting and possible match fixing. Among those arrested are footballers Because Hakan Yandasof the Fenerbahcey Metehan Baltaciof the Galatasarayin addition to the former president of Adanaspor, Murat Sancak.
In parallel, the Turkish Football Federation ( TFF) reported that the scope of the case continues to expand. To the 1,024 footballers that had been sent to Disciplinary Committee of Professional Football ( PFDK) with precautionary measures on November 10, another 27 players joined after the appearance of new documentation. In this way, there are now 47 footballers investigated for having participated in bets on at least one occasion.
The situation also involves the arbitration establishment. To the 152 referees sent to the PFDK at the end of October They added another 22including some from higher ranks, which reinforces the institutional magnitude of the scandal.
Sports sanctions and emblematic cases
Since the beginning of the investigation, dozens of referees were suspendedwhile more than one hundreds of players received sanctions ranging from 45 days to a year without activity. Some cases resonated strongly with public opinion: Eren Elmali y Metehan Baltaciboth of Galatasarayacknowledged having bet years ago, although they denied having done so on their own or their club’s matches. Elmali was suspended for 45 days, while Baltaci received a nine-month ban. Meanwhile, Alassane Ndaoof the Konyasporit was directly expelled from competitions.
The TFF reiterated that, in a first stage, no conclusive evidence of match manipulation had been detected, although widespread participation of footballers and referees in betting platforms had been detected, a practice prohibited by federation regulations.
A millionaire network and the impact on the credibility of football
The judicial investigation also made it possible to dismantle a illegal betting networks that operated through an unauthorized website and handled transactions for more than 2 billion Turkish liraequivalent to about 40 million euros. In simultaneous raids in six provinces, security forces seized vehicles, property and bank accounts linked to the organization.
The president of the TFF, Ibrahim Haciosmanoglupublicly defended the measures adopted and maintained that the operations are carried out “for the future, for moral and ethical football”. In televised statements, he admitted that the progress of the investigations generated a climate of tension and concern in the environment, but he stressed that it is a necessary step to recover the credibility of a seriously affected sport. Meanwhile, there is no set date for the start of the trials.
