Turkish international among players detained in betting scandal
Football
By
AFP
| Dec 09, 2025
An Istanbul court on Monday ordered the detention of 11 footballers from Turkey's first and second divisions, nine of whom are accused of betting on their own teams' matches, local media reported.
Among the five first division players charged are Galatasaray defender Metehan Baltaci, Konyaspor's Senegalese winger Alassane Ndao, and Fenerbahce's international midfielder Mert Hakan Yandas, who is accused of betting on matches through a third party.
The judges ordered the provisional detention of nine other suspects, including the presidents of two third division clubs accused of colluding on the result of a match during the 2023-2024 season.
Nineteen suspects were released on bail, including four players from Super Lig, the Turkish first division.
A total of around 40 people were arrested last week as part of a wide-ranging investigation by the Istanbul public prosecutor's office into suspected illegal betting and match-fixing.
READ MORE
Giant society turns to land lease to grow revenues
Flower growers halt expansion projects over tax refund delay
GDP to grow by 5.3pc this year, say Parliament think tank
Infrastructure fund will be well managed: Mbadi
Engineers told to uphold integrity amid graft concerns
Regional business lobby urges EAC countries to address emerging non-tariff barriers
Engineers warn Kenya is losing billions through raw mineral exports
Insurers keen to adopt AI, IoT in service delivery
Poor skills, financing sink MSMEs
From awareness to action: How e-commerce is transforming media advertising
These investigations, which have rocked Turkish football, have already led to the imprisonment in early November of six Turkish referees and the president of first division club Eyuspor.
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) also dismissed nearly 150 referees last month, accusing them of actively betting on matches.