Turkish court jailed seven people pending trial on Wednesday as part of a major match-fixing investigation which has cast a shadow over the country's multi-billion-dollar soccer league. The seven suspects, including the former chairmen of Diyarbakirspor and Giresunspor, were sent to Metris jail in Istanbul overnight, state-run Anatolian news agency reported.
They are among 61 people, including the chairman of champions Fenerbahce, detained since Sunday in a probe which has hit soccer company shares and thrown preparations for next season into disarray a month before kick off. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, himself a Fenerbahce fan, called for a rapid and just outcome to the investigation, saying the affair was staining the country's image internationally.
"Let's not be stained in the international community. In fact the current discussions (of the investigation) are already a stain. This must be cleaned up rapidly," he told reporters at a news conference to announce his new cabinet. The Istanbul court released another 11 people, whom prosecutors had asked to be remanded in custody, bringing the total of those released to 15.
Prosecutors on Wednesday were questioning another 25 suspects, including two Fenerbahce directors, two Fenerbahce players and the chairman of Sivasspor, Anatolian said. On Tuesday, Turkey's football federation said it would act swiftly in response to the allegations, without waiting for the outcome of the judicial investigation. Fenerbahce, which is at the centre of the probe and whose chairman Aziz Yildirim is the highest-profile detainee, won the league for a record 18th time last season to qualify for the Champions League along with second-placed Trabzonspor.
If any clubs are found guilty of wrongdoing they could face exclusion from competitions, relegation to a lower division and the loss of potentially tens of millions of dollars in income. Any individuals convicted of crimes could also face lengthy prison sentences.