Turkish court issues arrest warrants for 29 individuals, including top-tier players
Turkish prosecutors have announced the arrest warrants of 29 senior figures and players from the lower leagues to the nation’s top-flight soccer competition, the Super Lig.
The move comes on the back of months of ramping pressure on referees, major decision makers, and current players who have been involved, according to court proceedings, in some form of illegal gambling or money laundering.
Court orders 29 arrest warrants
Soccer in Turkey is in turmoil due to a betting scandal with deep, toxic roots across nearly all tiers of the sport.
The Turkish Football Federation President, Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu, ordered an investigation to “drain the swamp,” in his words, but what has emerged is a much deeper terraformation process that could take years to reshape the sport.
This alleged rotten infrastructure left a mark on the game in the Eurasian nation, with fingers pointed at 1,000 players, multiple franchise owners, and almost two-thirds of referees.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) are stepping in to apprehend 29 suspects following ongoing suspensions by the Turkish Football Federation.
Other figures involved in MASAK investigation
Arda Türken, a player for Sakaryaspor raised his hands in one incident involving match outcomes, with MASAK stating that he placed a bet on the Bandırmaspor-Sakaryaspor match via the gambling site Nesine while under an active contract.
Muhammed Furkan Özhan of Erzurumspor also confirmed he had an active betting account with Nesine. MASAK found the player wagered on sporting outcomes, “placing bets individually for personal gain, independent of the football team he played for.”
Murat Sancak, the former president of Adana Demirspor, was asked to confirm the origins of the alleged $28.8 million in transactions involving Adana Demirspor Club, Adana Demirspor Football Inc., and Adana Demirspor Sportive Investments and Trade Inc.
Sancak could not do so under pressure and in the face of evidence from prosecutors and has triggered the red flags of MASAK, which they say his actions could be seen as “laundering assets derived from crime.”
Ersen Dikmen has emerged as the through line for the gambling story involving Fenerbahçe’s Mert Hakan Yandaş and other major players. Prosecutors have been asking players questions about their relationships with alleged facilitators, but Yandaş is one of the most well-known and decorated players named in the betting scandal.
Yandaş is said to have repeatedly and consistently sent money to Dikmen. However, he denied allegations that he funded betting activity through this contact as an intermediary.
“All of our conversations are empty talk. I didn’t bet, nor did I direct anyone to bet. These are payments I sent him in exchange for the help he’s given me in the context of our relationship. It’s impossible for me to know where he uses the money. We often talk about football, and our WhatsApp conversations are also about football, and the content is entirely comprised of jokes and football gossip.”
Metehan Baltacı, of Galatasaray and Mert Hakan Yandaş of Fenerbache are two more top-tier players that were listed in court proceedings. Galatasaray and Fenerbahce both have a huge following in Turkey.
Another player named is Ankaraspor Club owner Ahmet Okatan. Ankaraspor club president Mehmet Emin Katipoğlu is also under investigation, along with a number of other players.
Arrest warrants were issued for these 29 individuals, along with hundreds of other players, franchise owners and referees.
Read more about the betting scandal in Turkey and how it has affected the sport in the country here.
The arrest warrants come after months of escalating pressure on the nation’s top flight soccer competition, the Super Lig.
According to MASAK, players, including Mert Hakan Yandaş and Metehan Baltacı were in contact with Dikmen, who was in contact with several of the players.
Conclusion
The case is one of the biggest in the history of the sport in Turkey.
The investigation has exposed the dark underbelly of the sport in Turkey.
