SOCCER: Turkey jails top-tier players pending trial in gambling probe

Turkey Jails 20 Football Figures Amid Widening Gambling Probe. A Turkish court has jailed 20 suspects, including Super Lig football players, pending trial in a growing investigation into football betting, state-owned Anadolu news agency reported on Tuesday.

Last week, prosecutors ordered the detention of 46 individuals, including players, club presidents, commentators, and a referee, over insider betting in Turkey’s professional leagues.

Among those formally arrested are Galatasaray player Metehan Baltaci, Fenerbahce player Mert Hakan Yandas, and former Adana Demirspor president Murat Sancak, Anadolu said.

Baltaci told the court that he had placed bets on a few matches while part of a youth team but had not bet since joining Galatasaray’s first team. Yandas, according to Sabah newspaper, denied involvement in match gambling during his court testimony. Sancak, cited by Cumhuriyet newspaper, said he did not have a gambling account and had never placed bets on matches.

Representatives for the players and former club official were not immediately available for comment.

The probe has already shaken Turkish football. Last month, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) suspended 149 referees and assistants after an investigation found officials in professional leagues were betting on games. The net later widened with the arrest of eight more individuals, including a top-tier club chairman, and the suspension of 1,024 players from all leagues.

A trial date for those jailed has not yet been set. -Daren Butler/Reuters