Fenerbahçe President Convicted of Illegal Betting Advertising
A major scandal has erupted in Turkish soccer: Sadettin Sarhan, president of the renowned Istanbul club Fenerbahçe, has been sentenced to two years and six months in prison. The court handed down this sentence in a case involving “incitement to participate in illegal betting.”
The judicial investigation was triggered by illegal gambling advertisements during football match broadcasts on the S Sport website, which is part of Sarhan’s media group.
In addition to the prison term, the sports official, who was not personally present during the verdict announcement, was fined 562,500 Turkish lira (equivalent to approximately $12,000).
This trial is just one part of an unprecedented crisis linked to the country’s illegal gambling industry. The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has already subjected more than a thousand professional players, sports officials, and 149 soccer referees who were found to have personal accounts used for betting at bookmakers. According to an official statement by TFF President Ibrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, Turkey’s state budget has lost a colossal sum—approximately $52 billion—due to the shadow sector of foreign online bookmakers.
This was reported by the Turkish TV channel NTV.
As a reminder, Villarreal has once again expressed interest in Real Madrid’s Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Lunin.
