Turkish football club Gaziantep officials detained in finance case

ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency

İbrahim Kızıl. AA Photo

A total of 46 Gaziantepspor officials, including chairman İbrahim Kızıl, were detained as part of an investigation started by the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) yesterday.

Gaziantep prosecutors said this was a financial investigation of the Turkish Super League club and not about the ongoing match-fixing case, which has rocked the national football agenda, in a press statement yesterday.

“The investigation started in October 2011 and included the investigation of documents from Kızıl Holdings and the Gaziantepspor club from the last five years,” the statement read. “The case is not about sport issues such as match-fixing.”

A total of 93 football officials, players and coaches from at least 10 clubs were listed as suspects in the ongoing match-fixing case.

Earlier this year, European football’s governing body, UEFA, hit Gaziantepspor with a ban excluding the team from the continental competitions, due to the unpaid wages of several players.