03.04.2026 12:51
Fenerbahçe football player Mert Hakan Yandaş, who was arrested in the betting investigation, has been released.
Fenerbahçe football player Mert Hakan Yandaş, who has been detained for months, appeared before the judge as part of a betting operation. The 31-year-old player was granted a release decision by the court.
RELEASE DECISION GRANTED
In the case where Mert Hakan Yandaş is being tried, the court decided on Yandaş's release.
FENERBAHÇE OFFICIALS AT ÇAĞLAYAN
To support Yandaş, Fenerbahçe President Sadettin Saran, Sports Director Devin Özek, the team's head coach Domenico Tedesco, former Fenerbahçe President Ali Koç, and his teammates came to the Çağlayan Courthouse.
MERT HAKAN'S STATEMENT
Coming to the podium for his defense, Mert Hakan Yandaş said, “I would like to say that a character assassination was made because I chose Fenerbahçe. There was confidentiality, but my file was distorted by being shared page by page, piece by piece. I think I paid the price for an interview I gave after a match. Everyone knows that match very well. I know how I came to the file, and my lawyers know it too. Because I chose Fenerbahçe 6 years ago. Do you think someone who has paid these prices would sell Fenerbahçe? Would someone who has become a tax record holder sell a match for a few thousand lira? Only someone who sells matches would sell their honor.
I do not accept any of the charges against me; I did not let anyone bet. Why was I included in the investigation? I do not have a membership to any betting site. The indictment is baseless. I want you to understand how much I love Fenerbahçe and that I will not harm Fenerbahçe.
My struggle will continue. I am still an honorable, clean, and dignified athlete who promised his father at the age of 9. I met Ersen Dikmen on social media 15 years ago. Our friendship progressed. Ersen brother was always by my side in difficult times. I was always by his side as well. Our financial relationship is limited to this. The relationship between a brother and a brother is based on loyalty. I sent him 7 thousand lira. I do not know what he did.” he stated.
After Mert Hakan Yandaş's defense was completed, Ersen Dikmen, who is alleged to have provided betting tips, came to the podium. In his defense, Ersen Dikmen said, “I am a businessman. I have been someone who bets since legal betting sites opened. The only thing I know best in life is Fenerbahçe. It is impossible for me to place a bet on a Fenerbahçe loss. You can also check the records. Mert Hakan was not aware that I was betting. I have been betting on legal betting sites for many years. I have never bet illegally to avoid any trouble. But at the end of the day, I have been in prison for 4 months for official betting. I would never try to benefit from something that would harm Fenerbahçe. Fenerbahçe's loss would only be a concern for me.” he said.
WHAT ARE THE ALLEGATIONS?
In the indictment prepared against the famous football player, it was stated that an investigation was initiated against Yandaş after it was determined that he had a membership record on betting sites as a professional football player at the time of the crime, as part of the investigation into betting-match-fixing allegations in football.
In the examination of Yandaş's MASAK reports, it was found that there was intense money traffic with Ersen Dikmen and that the money sent by Yandaş to Dikmen was transferred to betting sites in a short period, leading to an investigation against Dikmen as well. According to TFF records, it was noted in the indictment that Yandaş was a player in the Fenerbahçe Sports Club at the time of the crime.
The indictment highlighted that Yandaş had a membership record on a legal betting site since March 13, 2017, and that the suspect had approximately 932 different ID numbers of betting slips between 2017-2019, but the contents of this period could not be identified due to the bets being from previous years. It was also noted that from 2019 onwards, the suspect was found to have made betting slips through Ersen Dikmen.
To determine the connections between suspects Yandaş and Dikmen, the HTS records obtained from BTK were submitted to an expert for examination, and according to the expert report received on December 24, 2025, it was recorded in the indictment that the suspects were frequently in contact with each other.
The indictment, which requested that Yandaş and Dikmen be sentenced to imprisonment for 4 to 13 years for qualified fraud, match-fixing, and incentive premium crimes, was sent to the Istanbul 3rd Criminal Court of First Instance for evaluation.