A wide-ranging investigation into illegal gambling involving figures in Turkish football is underway with hundreds of players, club owners and referees under scrutiny, BBC Sport looks at what's going on.
A wide-ranging investigation into illegal gambling involving figures in Turkish football is under way with hundreds of players, club owners and referees under scrutiny.
A series of police raids have taken place, arrests have been made and more than 1,000 players have been suspended as the scope of the inquiry continues to grow.
Turkish Football Federation (TFF) president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu said at a press conference this week he saw "a growing sense of panic" within Turkish football "as operations deepen".
Last month the TFF suspended 1,024 players from its professional leagues as part of an investigation into betting.
It then handed out bans to 102 players from its top two divisions for "betting-related activities".
Last week, prosecutors ordered the arrest of 46 people, including players, club presidents, commentators and a referee, over insider betting in Turkey's professional leagues.
Among those detained were Galatasaray player Metehan Baltaci and Fenerbahce captain Mert Hakan Yandas, as well as former Adana Demirspor president Murat Sancak.
Players, club officials and match officials are banned from betting activities by TFF, Fifa and Uefa rules.
So what is going on and how could the situation develop in Turkey?
How did the investigation begin?
The betting scandal first erupted on 27 October and focused on referees.
A five-year TFF investigation found that that 371 of 571 match officials in Turkey held betting accounts, with 152 of those actively gambling.
While some had only bet once, 42 had bet on more than 1,000 football matches - with one official found to have placed 18,227 bets.
Of these 152 referees, seven were top-flight referees and 15 were top-flight assistant referees.
Shortly after the TFF's announcement in October, Istanbul's chief criminal prosecutor said the statement would be treated as a formal criminal complaint and that ongoing investigations would be expanded.
The investigation then moved beyond match officials.
7 November: Prosecutors order the detention of 21 people on suspicion of "manipulating match results" and "sharing misleading information online".
10 November: Eight suspects – including the president of Super Lig side Eyupspor Murat Ozkaya – arrested.
10 November: The TFF said it had referred 1,024 players to the disciplinary board for betting violations. So many players were suspended that the TFF asked Fifa for an extra 15 days in addition to the winter transfer window so that clubs could deal with squad shortages.
13 November: 102 players from the Super Lig and the second-tier 1 Lig received bans ranging from 45 days to 12 months. Among them were Baltaci (nine months) and Elmali (45 days).
18 November: There were 282 third tier players issued with bans.
20 November: A further 638 fourth tier and unattached players banned.
Prosecutors launch a second wave
On 20 November, Istanbul's chief prosecutor Akin Gurlek signalled that further arrests could follow, saying many suspects had placed bets through relatives or intermediaries.
5 December: A second wave of arrests take place with 46 people taken into custody.
8 December: A further 20 people formally arrested, including Yandas, Baltaci and Sancak.
What do Yandas and Baltaci say?
Prosecutors allege Yandas had significant financial transactions with a long-time associate, and that these funds were moved into betting accounts used to wager on Fenerbahce matches.
They claim Yandas engaged in behaviour "intended to influence match results".
Yandas denies betting on his own matches. He says he loaned money to a man who had previously helped him financially, and was unaware the money would be used for betting.
He denies any involvement in match-fixing.
Prosecutors accuse Baltaci of betting on 27 of his his own team's matches through a legal site but also accessing illegal betting platforms as well as being "individually engaged in betting activities aimed at influencing match results".
Baltaci admits placing bets as a youth player, claiming he did not know it was illegal, but denies betting on Galatasaray matches after joining the senior squad.
Allegations 'seriously damage Turkish football'
Haciosmanoglu says the TFF has shared its betting investigation report — based on state intelligence — with Fifa and Uefa. Neither organisation has publicly commented.
Three Turkish clubs are currently competing in Europe: Galatasaray in the Champions League; Fenerbahce in the Europa League and Samsunspor in the Conference League.
Galatasaray's Eren Elmali — suspended for 45 days — was removed from the national team squad and has missed Champions League matches. Baltaci was not part of Galatasaray's European squad this season. Samsunspor's Celil Yuksel also has also received a 45-day suspension.
Sports lawyer Anil Dincer told BBC Sport the scandal has "seriously damaged the image of Turkish football", but said a transparent process could have a positive long-term effect.
"If managed properly, Turkey could send a strong message to the world: that Turkish football has been cleaned up," he said.
He warned that mismanagement or a lack of transparency could lead to Uefa or Fifa sanctions including possible bans on Turkish clubs in European competitions.
Some of Turkey's top clubs have commented.
Besiktas said the initial investigation into referees "could mark a new beginning for clean football", while Trabzonspor called the development "an historic opportunity to rebuild justice in Turkish football".
With possible criminal charges, court cases and further bans in the pipeline Turkey's football gambling scandal does not look over yet.
Category: General Sports
