A Turkish court has jailed 20 suspects, including Super Lig footballers, awaiting trial in a widening football betting investigation. Anadolu The news agency reported this on Tuesday.
Last week, prosecutors ordered the arrest of 46 people, including players, club presidents, commentators and a referee, for insider betting in Turkey’s professional leagues.
Anadolu said that among those detained in that operation, Galatasaray player Metehan Baltaci and Fenerbahce player Mert Hakan Yandas, as well as former Adana Demirspor president Murat Sancak, have now been formally arrested and jailed.
READ | Turkish football players and club presidents arrested as part of investigation into gambling scandal
Anadolu reported that Baltaci told the court that he had bet on a few matches when he was a youth team player, and that he had not done so after joining Galatasaray’s first team.
Fenerbahçe’s Yandas was quoted by Sabah The newspaper said in his court testimony that he denied involvement in match betting.
Sancak told the court he did not have a gambling account and had never bet on matches. Republic the newspaper said.
Representatives of the two players and the former club official were not immediately available for comment.
Last month, the Turkish Football Federation suspended 149 referees and assistants after an investigation revealed that officials in professional leagues were betting on matches.
The net then widened with the arrest of eight people, including the president of a top club, and the suspension of 1,024 players from all competitions, on whom the federation (TFF) had imposed bans.
A trial date has not yet been set.
Published on December 9, 2025
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