The Istanbul public prosecutor’s office announced on Friday that it had ordered the arrest of 46 individuals, including 29 football players, as part of an extensive investigation into illegal betting on Turkish matches.
Among the arrested players, 27 are suspected of having bet on matches involving their own teams, according to a statement from the prosecutor’s office.
One of the players is Metehan Baltaci, who plays for the reigning Turkish champions Galatasaray. He had been suspended for nine months earlier this month due to the betting scandal.
The investigation has caused a significant upheaval in Turkish football. Earlier this month, six referees were placed in pre-trial detention, along with the president of Eyupspor, a club in Turkey’s Super Lig top division.
Prosecutors did not disclose the names of the other 26 players suspected of placing bets on their own teams’ matches. However, they mentioned that Mert Hakan Yandas, a player for Fenerbahce, another major Istanbul club, had placed bets using someone else’s account.
The prosecutor’s office reported that police have so far detained 35 of the 46 individuals listed in the arrest order.
Two club presidents were also targeted by the order for “attempting to influence the outcome” of a match between their two third-division teams during the 2023-2024 season, as stated in the report.
To date, the Turkish football federation (TFF) has suspended more than 1,000 Turkish players and nearly 150 referees in connection with the scandal.
Among the players, 25 were in the Super Lig, with suspensions ranging from 45 days to 12 months, according to the TFF.
Only one was a foreign national — Konyaspor’s Senegalese winger Alassane Ndao, who received a 12-month suspension.
