Over 1,000 footballers suspended in Turkey due to match-fixing investigation

The Turkish Football Federation has suspended more than a thousand players due to a large-scale investigation into illegal betting on football matches. Among them are the defender of the Turkish national team and Galatasaray player Eren Elmalı. This was reported by UNN with reference to Sky News.

Details

The Turkish Football Federation announced that 1024 footballers have been referred to the disciplinary committee. Among them are Eren Elmalı and his Galatasaray teammate Metehan Baltacı. The investigation also identified more than 150 referees who, according to the investigation, placed bets on matches, including seven individuals licensed for top-level games, as well as 15 top-level assistant referees.

The federation has temporarily suspended third and fourth division matches for two weeks, while the Super League and second division continue their championship as scheduled.

Eren Elmalı explained in his Instagram statement that he placed a bet about five years ago on a match in which his team was not participating. After this, he was excluded from the national team, which was preparing for the World Cup qualifiers against Spain and Bulgaria.

Turkish Football Federation President İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu emphasized the need to cleanse sports of corruption.

It is our duty to raise Turkish football to its rightful place and cleanse it of all filth

The scandal unfolded against the backdrop of Turkey's sporting revival. The country is preparing to co-host Euro 2032 with Italy, and the national team reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 this year.

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