Turkey Suspends Football Leagues Amid Match-Fixing Scandal
Turkish football has been rocked by a major scandal, prompting the football federation to suspend the third and fourth leagues for two weeks following the revelation of widespread match-fixing last month.
In a surprising development, an Istanbul court has ordered the provisional detention of six referees suspected of involvement in manipulating match outcomes while officiating in the lower leagues.
Meanwhile, eleven referees who had been in custody since Friday have been released on bail as part of the ongoing investigation.
The Turkish Football Federation has expanded its inquiry to include over a thousand players, among them national team member Eren Elmaiy, a defender for Galatasaray, one of Turkey's premier clubs.
Additionally, the president of Eyüp Spor, a team in the top league, has been arrested in connection with the investigation.
As part of the inquiry, the federation has summoned 1,024 players to testify before the disciplinary committee regarding allegations of betting on matches, despite a ban on gambling for players.
The federation has confirmed plans to hold an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday to discuss future measures aimed at preserving the integrity of the sport.
These developments come at a time when Turkish football is under unprecedented scrutiny, as the match-fixing scandal threatens the reputation of the sport and poses significant challenges for the federation in ensuring transparency and fairness in local competitions.
