21.11.2025 11:30
Former national football player and coach Emre Belözoğlu spoke about the large betting investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and the reactions directed towards him. Belözoğlu stated, "On the street, people say, 'Emre, you burned us.' I ask, 'What did I do, man?' They respond, 'You placed our bet.'"
While the major betting investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office shakes the football world, former national football player and coach Emre Belözoğlu made striking evaluations regarding the process.
TURKISH FOOTBALL IS SHAKEN
In the major betting investigation carried out in Istanbul, 8 out of 19 suspects were arrested, and the presence of Eyüpspor President Murat Özkaya and six referees among those detained created a shock effect. Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek's statement that "The investigation will expand further" raised great curiosity both in the football community and in society.
At a time when all eyes were turned to this case, Emre Belözoğlu evaluated the investigation and its effects on the football world.
"EMRE, YOU GOT US BURNED"
In an interview with Seyhan Avşar from Gerçek Gündem, when asked, "Turkey's eyes are on the betting investigation, how do you evaluate the process?" Belözoğlu replied, "Of course, I am following the process. However, I think the Chief Public Prosecutor's job is not easy; they need to be meticulous. The prosecutor must work hard to distinguish between good and bad. For example, there are scouts, people who watch players. Let's say these guys are going to watch a player from the Polish League. They need live footage to watch the player. This match is broadcasted by legal betting sites. These sites require you to place a minimum bet of 20 TL to watch the match. The person enters their information and places the lowest bet just to watch that player. I don't know the details of this business at all. In fact, I have been witnessing this on the street recently. They say, 'Emre, you got us burned.' I ask, 'What did I do, bro?' They say, 'You placed our bet,'" he said.
"IF WE DON'T BET, WE CAN'T WATCH THE MATCH"
Continuing his statements, the young coach said, "But when we look at the part that concerns us, the main issue is the coaches. I set aside the players; their situation is, in my opinion, very different. The real actors of this business are the athletes; their numbers are also very high. Not one, two, or five; it expands to a wide audience of 10, 15, and so on. Therefore, it is necessary to think very carefully about how they will be integrated into the system. The same goes for the managers; they should also be evaluated separately. However, there is a problem regarding coaches: Many people have entered the system based on player and team observation. Many coaches and many assistants of technical teams have accessed these platforms. I think a good distinction needs to be made here.
The part that bothers me the most about this issue is this: Now I hear that there are kids who worked as scouts in the teams we previously worked with. They call me and say, 'Coach, we got in here, but to be able to watch these matches, the system requires us to place a mandatory bet of 10 TL or 20 TL. If we don't bet, we can't watch the match.' I also say that the prosecutor's office needs to distinguish this matter very well. There needs to be a separation between the dirtiness and cleanliness in this business. The system needs to clearly filter this out. I think the prosecutor's office should delve deeper into this issue and pay attention to this distinction while collecting evidence," he said.