Story byMetehan Baltaci, who plays for reigning Turkish champions Galatasaray, was among players accused of betting on matches involving their own teams. Earlier this month, he was suspended for nine months over the scandal [File: John Thys/AFP]Al Jazeera Staff and News AgenciesFri, December 5, 2025 at 11:48 AM UTC·2 min readProsecutors in Turkiye have ordered the detention of 46 people, including 29 footballers from top-tier clubs, club presidents, commentators and others, as part of a widening investigation into insider betting that has roiled the country’s professional football leagues. Among the arrested players, 27 were suspected of having bet on matches involving their own teams, the public prosecutor’s office in Istanbul said in a statement on Friday. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOne was Metehan Baltaci, who plays for reigning Turkish champions Galatasaray, it said. Earlier this month, he had been suspended for nine months over the betting scandal. The investigation has rocked Turkish football, with six referees placed in pre-trial detention on November 10, along with the president of Eyupspor, a club in Turkiye’s top Super Lig division. Prosecutors did not identify the other 26 players suspected of bets involving their own teams, but said Mert Hakan Yandas, who plays for Fenerbahce, another major Istanbul club, had placed bets through someone else’s account. The A Haber news channel reported that the former president of Adana Demirspor, Murat Sancak, was also included in the detention list.