Turkish police made 22 arrests yesterday including the president of Champions League hopefuls Trabzonspor as part of a widening match-fixing probe, Anatolia news agency reported.
Sadri Sener, whose club were runners-up in last season’s Turkish championship, was detained in a series of early morning raids, only days after the president of the champions Fenerbahce was also arrested.
The latest wave of arrests included Mehmet Levent Kizil, the former executive committe member of the national football federation, and Ankaragucu teams’ goalkeeper Serdar Kulbilge, Anatolia said.
The former national federation chief Mahmut Ozgener was called to testify to police, Anatolia said, defying earlier media reports saying that Ozgener was detained by police.
Ozgener’s former advisor Mumtaz Karakaya was also among the arrests, NTV news channel said.
The league is going to start on August 5 as planned, the head of national football federation, Mehmet Ali Aydinlar said in televised remarks Monday.
The federation is not going to take any disciplinary action against the clubs concerned until the prosecutors’ indictment is ready, Aydinlar said.
“We think that it is not right to decide without having evidence and documents in our hands. We will wait for the indictment. The indictment is the most important evidence for me,” he said.
Aydinlar said they would remain in touch with the UEFA European Champions League and international football federation FIFA.
Police are investigating the outcome of 19 matches in Turkey’s top two divisions last season which ended with Fenerbahce clinching the title on the final day by goal difference from Trabzonspor.
The inquiry and arrests have created shock waves among football supporters amid the prospect that Fenerbahce could be stripped of the title.
Several hundred Fenerbahce fans demonstrated by a bridge over the Bosphorous in Istanbul on Sunday night after the club president Aziz Yildirim was formally detained in custody so that he could await trial.
Police had to use teargas to disperse the supporters, many of whom were chanting slogans in support of Yildirim and threats against anyone trying to act against the club.
Around 60 people were detained in the first wave of arrests on July 3 and Fenerbahce’s vice-president Sekip Mosturoglu and financial chief Tamer Yelkovan are also among those still in custody.
Trabzonspor premises had been searched on July 3.
Two Fenerbahce players – Nigerian striker Emmanuel Emenike and forward Sezer Ozturk – were questioned and released.
The Turkish Football Federation is expected to decide whether to slap any immediate sanctions on Fenerbahce by Friday, the deadline to notify UEFA of which teams will play in European competitions.
Trabzonspor, who have won the national championship six times, are due to go into the third qualifying round of the Champions League. The club is based in the northern city of Trabzon on the shores of the Black Sea