Ankara (Turkiye), Nov 14 (IANS) Turkiye’s football authorities have handed temporary bans to 102 professional players as part of a widening investigation into illegal betting activities in the country.

The Professional Football Disciplinary Board of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) on Thursday suspended 25 players from the Super Lig and 77 from the second-tier First League, with punishments ranging from 45 days to 12 months. The investigation reviewed allegations against 1,024 footballers, of whom 102 were sanctioned.

Among the most notable cases is Galatasaray and Turkish national team defender Eren Elmali, who was banned for 45 days and removed from the national team squad, reports Xinhua.

Earlier this week, Elmali admitted on Instagram to placing a bet on a football match approximately five years ago, but said it did not involve his own team. He joined Galatasaray earlier this year.

His teammate Metehan Baltaci, who plays for Türkiye’s Under-21 team, received a nine-month suspension. Konyaspor’s Alassane Ndao was handed the longest ban of 12 months.

The TFF stressed that players who have been provisionally referred to the disciplinary board are not permitted to play in matches during the ongoing investigation.

Due to the scale of the investigation, the TFF announced that matches in the Second and Third Leagues have been postponed for two weeks, but Super Lig and First League matches will continue as scheduled. The federation also revealed that it has initiated urgent talks with FIFA to allow teams affected by the bans a 15-day transfer window to strengthen their squads.

Earlier, eight people were arrested in Turkiye, and more than 1,000 players were suspended as a wide-ranging investigation into alleged betting on football matches rocked the country’s football federation.

Turkish authorities formally arrested Eyupspor Chairman Murat Ozkaya, a top-tier club chairman, and seven others on Monday, while the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) suspended 1,024 players pending disciplinary investigations. Of the suspended players, 27 compete in the country’s top-tier Super Lig, notably Galatasaray defender Eren Elmali, who also represents the Turkish national team.

–IANS

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