Fenerbahce captain’s home raided in Turkish betting scandal

In their ongoing investigation into illegal betting and match fixing, Turkish police have searched the home of Fenerbahce’s captain.

As the scandal that is currently roiling the Turkish football scene progresses, Istanbul’s prosecutors on Friday morning ordered the arrest of 46 people, 29 of whom were players.

Mert Hakan Yandas, 31, is accused by the prosecution of placing illegal bets on matches with a third party, according to reports in Turkey.

Metehan Baltaci, a 23-year-old Galatasaray centre-back, is also being detained. He is accused of betting on matches involving his own team, and the Turkish FA recently suspended him for nine months.

Due to concerns about match fixing and sporting integrity, footballers are prohibited from betting on games that involve their own team or not.

Seventy-seven of the 29 players detained are alleged to have bet on games that their own teams participated in.

According to the prosecutor’s office, 35 of the 46 people who needed to be arrested were already being held. Five of the remaining 11 are reportedly traveling abroad.

The prosecutor’s office released a statement naming all 46 of the suspects, noting that “efforts to apprehend the other suspects are ongoing.” “Investigations will continue with rigor and determination,” he said.

In addition to the list, there are owners of Ankaraspor and president Mehmet Emin Katipoglu, president of the Nazilli Belediyespor, Sahin Kaya, and two coaches, all of whom claim to have helped determine the outcome of a match between the two clubs in April 2024.

In December 2023, Umraniyespor and Giresunspor are accused of trying to aranje the outcome of the game, including one player.

Murat Sancak, former Adana Demirspor president, former referee and current commentator Ahmet akar, and Zorbay Küçük, a top-flight official accused of using a bank account to make obscene financial transactions, are also accused of wrongdoing.

After its president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu first accused hundreds of referees of being connected to betting accounts in October, the Turkish FA suspended more than 1, 000 players from the game in November over alleged betting infractions.

After 14 matches, Galatasaray are currently at the top of the Turkish Super Lig, one point ahead of archrival Fenerbahce.