ISTANBUL – Turkish football is still reeling from a storm. After the referees, it's now the players' turn to come under scrutiny in the betting investigation that has rocked the Federation for weeks. The Disciplinary Committee has announced the sanctions against 102 of the 1024 players involved in the investigation: suspensions ranging from 45 days to a year.
Among those punished are two Galatasaray players, Eren Elmali (45-day suspension) and Metehan Baltaci (9 months), penalties that extend to European competitions, including the Champions League. The only foreigner among the 102 is Senegalese Alassane Ndao of Konyaspor, suspended for 12 months.
The investigation, which followed an investigation by the Istanbul prosecutor's office launched in April and made public at the end of October, uncovered a widespread illegal betting system in Turkish football. Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu, president of the Turkish Football Federation, revealed disturbing figures: 371 of the 571 professional referees had gaming accounts, and 152 of them were placing bets legally. In ten cases, the bets exceeded the 10,000 mark, with one referee placing a staggering 18.227.
After the initial wave of suspensions, which affected 149 match officials and assistant referees, the investigation was extended to clubs across all divisions, including the Super Lig, with over 3.700 players under investigation. On the criminal front, the Istanbul Prosecutor's Office ordered the arrest of 18 people, including 17 referees and a club president.
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