A growing match-fixing and illegal betting scandal is rocking Turkish football, with prosecutors now investigating prominent players from reigning champions Galatasaray. [[2]] This probe follows the recent jailing of players from both fenerbahçe and Galatasaray pending trial, and comes as the Turkish Football Federation revealed that a significant number of referees are actively placing bets [[3]],raising serious questions about the integrity of the Super Lig. The widening investigation threatens to disrupt the league’s championship race and further damage the sport’s reputation in Turkey.
A widening Turkish soccer investigation has ensnared more prominent players, with Galatasaray stars Abdülkerim Bardakçı and Barış Alper Yılmaz now under scrutiny following the recent arrests of Fenerbahçe’s Mert Hakan Yandaş and Galatasaray’s Metehan Baltacı. The probe centers on allegations of match-fixing and illegal betting within the Turkish Super Lig.
INVESTIGATION EXPANDS TO INCLUDE GALATASARAY PLAYERS
Prosecutors launched the new line of inquiry into Bardakçı and Yılmaz after examining the mobile phone data of those already detained. The investigation comes at a critical juncture in the Super Lig season, with title implications hanging in the balance.
‘REMOVED ME FROM GROUP CHATS, ADDED ME LATER’
According to reports, the scrutiny of Yılmaz and Bardakçı stems from WhatsApp messages sent by Metehan Baltacı, who recently received a nine-month ban from the Turkish Football Federation (PFDK). Baltacı reportedly expressed frustration over his suspension, writing, “There’s other stuff going on here. They removed me from chats with Eren, Apo, and Barış, then added me back in.”
