Fenerbahçe has announced it will appeal a 12-month ban handed to midfielder Mert Hakan Yandaş by the Turkish Football Federation’s (TFF) disciplinary board following his involvement in an ongoing betting and match-fixing investigation.
The decision means Yandaş will be barred from all football-related activities for one year.
Fenerbahçe strongly criticized the ruling, calling it “unacceptable,” and announced plans to appeal to the TFF Arbitration Board.
In a statement shared on social media, Yandaş said he had been made a “scapegoat” and claimed his fate had already been decided. While expressing little hope that the decision would be overturned, he said he would provide a detailed response after the appeal process.
Yandaş appeared before court for the first time on April 3 at an Istanbul criminal court, where prosecutors requested his release, taking into account that he had already spent nearly four months in pre-trial detention. The court granted his release pending trial.
Several prominent figures from Fenerbahçe, including club officials, coaching staff and teammates, attended the hearing in support.
Galatasaray player Metehan Baltacı, who is also facing up to 13 years in prison on similar charges and was likewise released after his first court hearing, also attended to show support to his colleague.
Yandaş had recently returned to training with his team after being released.
The case is part of a wider investigation led by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office into alleged betting-related fraud and match-fixing in Turkish football.
According to the indictment, 34 suspects — including footballers, referees and other figures — face charges of “qualified fraud” and “match-fixing and incentive payments.”
The broader investigation has involved multiple waves of operations since February, targeting dozens of individuals suspected of illegal betting activities, including allegations of betting on matches involving their own teams.
Several high-profile figures were detained in earlier phases of the investigation but were later released.
