Sunday, July 03, 2011

Nigeria striker Emenike detained over match-fixing in Turkey


Nigeria striker Emmanuel Emenike, who was recently transferred to Fenerbahçe from Karabükspor in a deal worth $9 million, was detained on Sunday over match-fixing allegations. Emenike did not play in the last season's Fenerbahçe-Karabükspor game, with complaints of injuries.

Meanwhile at least 40 people, including Turkish league champion Fenerbahçe Chairman Aziz Yıldırım and officials and players from other soccer clubs, were detained on Sunday as part of a police operation launched in a number of Turkish provinces over match-fixing allegations.

Teams from the İstanbul Police Department's organized crime bureau searched the home of Yıldırım around 7 a.m. and subsequently detained him. Apart from Yıldırım's home, the Fenerbahçe sports club's headquarters, Şükrü Saraçoğlu Stadium and several locations in Antalya were also searched.

Police were reportedly investigating alleged match-fixing in the Spor Toto Super League, which ended in May with Fenerbahce's victory, and Bank Asya League 1. According to initial reports, Yıldırım stands accused of establishing an organized criminal group, match fixing and bribery.

Fenerbahçe Deputy Chairman Şekip Mosturoğlu, Giresunspor Chairman Ömer Ülkü, former Diyarbakırspor Chairman Abdurrahman Yakut, Eskişehirspor coach Bülent Uygun, Adanaspor coach Levent Eriş, and soccer players Ümit Karan, Serkan Çalık, Serdar Kulbilge, Mehmet Yıldız, Korcan Çelikay and Sezer Öztürk were reportedly among the detainees.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Turkish prosecutors began questioning 12 suspects among some 60 detained in an alleged match fixing scandal that shaken Turkish football and implicated domestic champion Fenerbahce.
Niger's Emenike who played Karabukspor, was reportedly promised a transfer to Fenerbahce in return for not playing in a match against the team, an allegation Karabukspor denied.