Turkey Orders Arrest of Top-Tier Soccer Players Amid Match-Fixing Scandals

Turkey continues its investigation of insider betting in the country’s professional soccer scene as prosecutors have ordered the detention of 46 individuals, including top-league soccer players, club presidents, commentators, and others, on suspicion of participating in the practice.

Turkish Authorities Arrest High-Ranking Soccer Players and Officials

Turkey’s ongoing investigation into match-fixing has sent shockwaves through the country’s soccer scene over the past couple of months. On November 10, six referees were placed in pre-trial detention, along with the president of Eyupspor, a club competing in Turkey‘s top-tier Super Lig. According to a statement from the Istanbul public prosecutor’s office on Friday, 27 of the detained players were suspected of betting on matches involving their own teams. One of them was Metehan Baltacı, a player for reigning champions Galatasaray, who had already been suspended for nine months earlier this month in connection with the betting scandal.

Murat Sancak, the former president of Adana Demirspor, was also among those ordered to be detained, along with several additional players, according to the A Haber news channel. Police had already taken 35 of the 46 individuals into custody, while five others were believed to be abroad, according to a statement by the prosecutor’s office. 

The statement added that two club presidents were accused of “attempting to influence the outcome” of a match between their respective third-division teams during the 2023–2024 season. According to Turkish media, the match drew investigators’ attention because neither team made a single attempt to score.

Number of Banned Players and Officials Rises to Four-Digit

Over the past couple of months, Turkish authorities have been ramping up their efforts against the illegal gambling scene. These attempts are part of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s policies targeting illegal betting. 

The country’s large soccer scene has felt the brunt of these moves as the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has issued suspensions to more than 1,000 players. Just a few weeks ago, the Federation made one of its biggest sweeps as it temporarily banned 102 players from the country’s top-tier and secondary leagues.

While the top-profile players getting banned have definitely taken the headlines, the vast majority of banned players are from the lower divisions of Turkey’s soccer scene. In fact, more than 900 of the suspended players come from the country’s third and fourth divisions, with their sanctions ranging from 45 days to 12 months.

However, this has had an unforeseen effect on smaller clubs, as some of them have been left practically without players. Such is the case with Ağrı Spor, which no longer has a team, as 17 of its players were suspended amid the investigation. This has forced the team to rely on its junior players for the foreseeable future.