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Seven jailed in Turkish match-fixing probe

The seven suspects, including the former chairmen of Diyarbakirspor and Giresunspor, were sent to Metris jail in Istanbul overnight, state-run Anatolian news agency reported.

They are among 61 people, including the chairman of champions Fenerbahce, detained since Sunday in a probe which has hit football company shares and thrown preparations for next season into disarray a month before kick-off.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (pictured), himself a Fenerbahce fan, called for a rapid and just outcome to the investigation, saying the affair was staining the country's image internationally.

"Let's not be stained in the international community. In fact the current discussions [of the investigation] are already a stain. This must be cleaned up rapidly," he told reporters at a news conference to announce his new cabinet.

On Tuesday, Turkey's football federation said it would act swiftly in response to the allegations, without waiting for the outcome of the judicial investigation.

Fenerbahce's Yildirim was receiving hospital treatment on Wednesday for suspected heart problems.