Türkiye’s widening football betting scandal intensified on Dec. 9 after an Istanbul court ordered the pre-trial detention of 20 suspects, including top-tier players, club presidents and referees.
This follows the crackdown on Dec. 5 when a total of 40 people were detained as part of the wide-ranging investigation by the Istanbul public prosecutor's office.
Those jailed include five footballers from the first division, such as Galatasaray defender Metehan Baltacı, Konyaspor's Senegalese winger Alassane Ndao and Fenerbahçe's international midfielder Mert Hakan Yandaş.
Nineteen were released under judicial control, including active top-division referee Zorbay Küçük. Former referee and current TV pundit Ahmet Çakar, who was also detained as part of the investigation, was hospitalized after falling ill and remains under treatment.
The investigation points to extensive betting activity by players.
Prosecutors say 27 footballers placed bets on fixtures of their own teams, including Baltacı.
Messages recovered from seized phones include betting discussions and images of betting slips, local media reported.
Baltacı and Yandaş, two of the highest-profile detainees, deny any wrongdoing.
In his statement, Baltacı said, “I have never carried out any transaction on any illegal betting site. I have never placed a bet on a team whose shirt I wore.”
He acknowledged opening an account on a legal betting platform years earlier but said it had no connection to match-fixing.
Yandaş similarly denied the betting allegations, adding that he had never received any match-fixing offer.
The judges also ordered the provisional detention of the presidents of two second division clubs accused of colluding on the result of a match during the 2023-2024 season.
According to court documents and case files reviewed by local media, Ankaraspor President Mehmet Emin Katipoğlu and Nazilli Belediyespor President Şahin Kaya reached an agreement for their match to end in a draw, a result that would secure Ankaraspor’s play-off berth and ensure Nazilli remained in the league.
Speaking at a press conference in Istanbul, Turkish Football Federation (TFF) President İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu said on Dec. 9 that the federation will pursue the probe without concessions.
He noted that the expanding operations have sparked visible anxiety among some figures in the sport, adding that reactions from certain circles reflect that discomfort.
“Whatever comes to light, we will not tolerate even the slightest wrongdoing on this path,” he said.
