Fenerbahce’s Mert Hakan Yandas and Galatasaray’s Metehan Bartak are the highest profile players arrested following gambling investigations.
Published December 9, 2025
A Turkish court has jailed 20 suspects, including Super Lig soccer players, pending trial in an expanded soccer gambling investigation, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Tuesday.
Last week, prosecutors ordered the arrest of 46 people, including players, club presidents, commentators and referees, over insider gambling in Tolkier’s professional league.
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Anadolu said that among those detained in the operation, Galatasaray’s Metehan Baltaci and Fenerbahce’s Mert Hakan Yandas, as well as former Adana Demirspor president Murat Sancak, were formally arrested and imprisoned.
Anadolu newspaper reported that Baltaci told the court that he used to bet on a few games when he was a youth team player, but that he has not done so since joining Galatasaray’s first team.
Fenerbahce’s Yandas denied involvement in match betting in court testimony, Sabah newspaper reported.
Cumhuriyet newspaper reported that Sancak told the court that he did not have a gambling account and had never bet on a match.
Representatives for both players and former club officials could not be reached for comment.
Last month, the Turkiye Football Federation (TFF) suspended 149 referees and assistants after an investigation found that professional league officials had placed bets on matches.
Since then, eight people, including the president of a top-tier club, have been arrested, and the TFF has suspended 1,024 players from all leagues, further widening its net.
A trial date has not yet been set.
