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Turkish prosecutors have ordered the detention of 21 people, including 17 referees and the president of an unnamed Super Lig club. Investigation into alleged betting on football matches.
The state-owned Anadolu news agency reported that 18 of the 21 suspects had been detained so far.
The move comes a week after turkish football The federation (TFF) suspended 149 referees and assistant referees after an investigation found that officials working in the country’s professional leagues were betting on football matches.
Istanbul’s chief prosecutor’s office said the detention of 17 referees was on the grounds of abuse of duty and manipulation of match results. It said a Super Lig club president, a former club owner and a former association president were also ordered detained over alleged match-fixing.
Another person faced arrest for spreading misinformation on social media as part of the operation in 12 cities across Turkey, the statement said.
In its own separate investigation, the TFF’s disciplinary board has banned 149 officials for eight to 12 months for their involvement in betting activity.
TFF president Ibrahim Hasiosmanoglu described the situation as a “moral crisis in Turkish football”. Its investigation revealed that 371 out of 571 active referees in Turkey’s professional leagues had betting accounts, and 152 of them were actively gambling.
One referee had bet 18,227 times, and 42 referees had each bet on over 1,000 football matches. Others were found betting only once.
reuters