A Turkish court has ordered the arrest and pre-trail detention of 20 suspects in connection with an insider betting scandal pertaining to the top division of Turkish football.
As reported by Turkish news agency Anadolu, Turkish Süper Lig footballers have been indicted, with club presidents, commentators and a referee also caught up in the scandal.
Earlier this month, prosecutors ordered the detention of 46 people as part of the betting probe.
Among those initially detained were Galatasaray defender Metehan Baltacı and Fenerbahçe captain Mert Hakan Yandaş.
The pair were among the 20 suspects arrested by order of the court, alongside former Adana Demirspor president Murat Sancak. Of the 20, 19 were released on probation.
Various reports stated that Baltacı told the court that he only placed bets on a select few matches when he was in Galatasaray’s academy, and that he stopped as soon as he reached the first team.
Yandaş denied he had any involvement in betting on football matches, despite prosecutors alleging he used a third-party account to place illegal wagers.
Turkish police seized his electronic devices during a raid on his home last week.
Sancak claimed he didn’t have a gambling account and that all his financial transactions were tied to legitimate business ventures.
Other detainees included Konyaspor winger Alassane Ndao, and Ankaraspor owner Ahmet Okatan, as well as eight additional players and club officials from across all divisions of Turkish football.
Last month, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) ordered the suspension of 1,024 players from all leagues as part of its investigation into the scandal.
The TFF went on to issue bans of various lengths to 102 players, 25 of whom were from the Süper Lig, with 77 banned players coming from the second tier.
The investigation also saw the suspension of 149 referees and assistant referees suspected of taking part in insider betting.
The trial date for the arrested parties is yet to be set.
The post Report: Turkish football stars jailed as part of league-wide betting scandal first appeared on EGR Intel.
Turkish court jails 20 suspects amid insider betting investigation, with Süper Lig players, officials, club presidents and commentators indicted
The post Report: Turkish football stars jailed as part of league-wide betting scandal first appeared on EGR Intel.