FLASH
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Scandals in Turkish football are mounting. An Istanbul court has issued arrest warrants for Murat Özkaya, the president of Eyüpspor, and seven referees, accused of influencing match results.
But the investigations don't stop there: The Turkish Football Federation has referred a total of 1,204 footballers to the disciplinary committee for involvement in sports betting.
The federation has described this action as a "preventive" measure to clean up professional football. Of the over 1,000 players involved in the investigation, 27 of them play in the Super League, including two players from Galatasaray, two from Besiktas and one from Trabzonspor. Meanwhile, 77 others are active in the Second League.
Players involved by club
Besiktas: Ersin Destanoğlu, Necip Uysal
Alanyaspor: İzzet Çelik, Enes Keskin, Yusuf Özdemir, Bedirhan Özyurt
Rizespor: Efe Doğan, Furkan Orak
Galatasaray: Metehan Baltacı, Evren Eren Elmalı
Gaziantep FK: Muhammet Taha Güneş, Nazım Sangare
Göztepe FK: İzzet Furkan Malak, Uğur Kaan Yıldız
Antalyaspor: Kerem Kayaarası
Eyüpspor: Mükremin Arda Türköz
Kasımpaşa: Ege Albayrak, Ali Emre Yanar
Fatih Karagümrük: Furkan Bekleviç, Kerem Yusuf Sirkeci
Samsunspor: Celil Yuksel
Trabzonspor: Salih Malkoçoğlu
The scandal erupted after months of investigations into illegal betting in Turkish football. As a result of the first phase of the checks, 149 referees were suspended, while over 40 match delegates were forced to resign. Following the file prepared by the TFF, the prosecution requested pre-trial detention for 17 referees and a sports journalist, while 11 others were released on bail.
Murat Özkaya, who has been in charge of Eyüpspor during a period of historic success, including promotion to the Second Division and then the move to the Super League in 2023, is accused of being part of a network that influenced the results of matches through referees.
The Turkish Federation has stated that it will continue with strong measures to "erode the phenomenon", while the court is examining the possibility that the referees involved may have manipulated the results of several official matches.
The scandal is expected to have major consequences for Turkish football, with suspensions, fines and other investigations expected in the coming days.
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