Article by Mihai Șovei – Published on Thursday, 04 June 2026, 16:18 / Updated on Thursday, 04 June 2026 16:18
A Turkish court has sentenced Fenerbahce club president Sadettin Saran to two and a half years in prison for inciting illegal betting.
The court's decision came just days before the Istanbul-based team was due to elect a new manager.
Fenerbahce president sentenced to prison
The Istanbul court found Sadettin Saran and his brother Kenan Saran guilty of “inciting people to engage in illegal betting through advertising or various other means”, sentencing them both to two years and six months in prison, according to independent.co.uk.
Sadettin Saran had previously announced his intention to step down, with the club scheduling an extraordinary congress for June 6-7 to establish new management.
However, local media cited by the aforementioned source reported that the team president consistently denied any wrongdoing during his defense in court.
The decision comes after he was briefly detained earlier this year as part of a wider investigation into celebrity drug use in Turkey and later released.
Sadettin Saran, president of Fenerbahce
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The conviction comes amid extensive investigations by Turkish authorities into alleged match-fixing and illegal betting in the country's professional soccer leagues. These investigations have led to the suspension of dozens of referees by the Turkish Football Federation, along with the detention or arrest of several commentators, officials and players, including from top league clubs.
Former Fenerbahce president Aziz Yildirim has announced his candidacy to run the club, competing with businessman Hakan Safi for the top job. The Istanbul giants are hoping new management will help them end a 13-year run without a title.
In the 2025/26 season, Fenerbahce finished in 2nd place, just 3 points behind champions Galatasaray. The team from Istanbul came to Bucharest at the beginning of this year for a duel with FCSB in the Europa League, the match ended 1-1.
