Major European football league suspends over 1,000 players

An international footballer is amongst those suspended

Amongst the players who have been suspended is Galatasaray's Eren Elmali.

The 25-year-old has played for the Istanbul giants in the Champions League this season and is a regular starter for the Turkish national team.

He was recently pulled from the Turkey squad ahead of this week's games against Spain and Bulgaria.

In a statement posted on his Instagram account, Elmali claimed to have only bet on one match in an incident that took place a year ago and did not involve his own team.

Elmali, as well as fellow Galatasaray player Metehan Baltaci, have been referred to a disciplinary committee alongside 1,024 other players by the Turkish football federation.

The third and fourth divisions in Turkey will stop play for at least two weeks as a result of the charges but the Super League — where Galatasaray play — will continue as scheduled.

These latest suspensions come after reports last month that 150 Turkish match officials had been suspended in connection with breaches in betting regulations.

Following the suspension of the referees, Turkish federation president İbrahim Hacıosmanoglu said: "Our duty is to elevate Turkish football to its rightful place and to purge it of all its filth."