Nigeria Striker Arrested Over Match-Fixing


Published on August 30, 2012



Emmanuel Emenike

Nigeria striker Emmanuel Emenike was arrested and he testified at an Istanbul court over a match-fixing scandal that rocked Turkey last year.

Several media reports in Turkey said Emenike was greeted by his lawyer at Rezan Epözdemir on arrival in Istanbul with his Russian club Spartak Moscow and travelled to the Çağlayan courthouse.

He was detained for several hours and after he appeared in court he was released pending trial.

In an unprecedented investigation, a Turkish prosecutor accused Emenike of being involved in match-rigging and of leaving Turkey while a court case was underway.

Emenike’s case file was separated from the overall match-fixing case since he was in Russia at the time of the trial and did not provide testimony.

Emenike, who joined Spartak Moscow last year after leaving Turkish Super League champion Fenerbahçe less than two months after joining the team, arrived in Turkey early Tuesday to testify prior to a match between Fenerbahçe and Spartak Moscow in Istanbul.

He scored in first leg and he is expected to feature in the return leg later Wednesday in Istanbul.

In July, police raided homes and football club premises, detaining some 60 people suspected of rigging football matches in the two leagues last season.

Many high-ranking football officials from various Turkish clubs, including Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş, have been arrested on charges of fraud and match-fixing.

A total of 31 individuals, including agents, former footballers and club managers, were arrested in two waves of the probe with Fenerbahçe Chairman Yıldırım being the highest profile figure taken into custody pending trial.

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