Updated at 12.08
WESLEY SNEIJDER’S WINNING goal against Genclerbirligi has brought accusations of match-fixing back to the forefront of Turkish football.
Galatasaray maintained a three-point advantage over bitter rivals Fenerbache following the win with only two games left to play in the league.
https://vine.co/v/eKY0guA6WIx
As shown in the above vine, Genclerbirligi goalkeeper Ferhat Kaplan appeared to pull his hand away when diving to his right, leaving the ball to roll into the net. Genclerbirligi president Ilhan Cavcav defended his keeper saying he was “an honest goalkeeper and has character” but he “could have reached out better”.
There were further question marks raised during the same game when the opposition back-line made a very peculiar attempt at playing this offside trap.
https://vine.co/v/eKYUX3mrThQ
With all three defenders pulling out of the way of the cross, the clearly onside Umut Bulut had a gilt-edged chance to score. This also happened before Sneijder’s goal, which makes the situation open to more scrutiny.
Former Chelsea striker Demba Ba, who is now with Turkish side Besiktas, posted a tweet after the goal.
It is not the first time the Turkish league has been involved in a match-fixing controversy. Fenerbache were banned from European competition for two years back in 2013 when they were found guilty of match-fixing.