10.11.2025 19:57
As part of the betting investigation, Eyüpspor President Murat Özkaya has been arrested. A detention order was also issued for referees Yakup Yapıcı, Erkan Arslan, and Nevzat Onat. It has been reported that 6 referees have been released, while procedures for 9 individuals are still ongoing.
After the technical and physical surveillance conducted by the Cyber Crime Department of the Istanbul Police Department, coordinated by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the procedures of the suspects captured in a simultaneous operation in Istanbul, as well as in Ankara, Şanlıurfa, Kütahya, Manisa, İzmir, Trabzon, Diyarbakır, Bolu, Edirne, Malatya, Antalya, and Kırklareli, have been completed.
MURAT ÖZKAYA AND 3 REFEREES ARRESTED
As part of the football betting investigation, 19 people were referred to the court with a request for arrest. Eyüpspor President Murat Özkaya was arrested by the court he was brought before. In addition to Murat Özkaya, arrest warrants were also issued for referees Erkan Arslan (Assistant Referee), Nevzat Okat (Referee), and Yakup Yapıcı (Assistant Referee). It was learned that 6 referees were released, while the procedures for 9 individuals were still ongoing.
STATEMENT FROM ISTANBUL 11TH JUDGE OF PEACE
"There is strong suspicion of crime regarding suspect Murat ÖZKAYA, who is involved with football stakeholders such as players, referees, club presidents, and higher organizations, to prevent bribery or influence from directing football. It is suspected that Murat ÖZKAYA, who is the president of the Eyüpspor football team in the Trendyol Super League, received an offer to influence the outcome of a match on behalf of the football club he managed. There is evidence supporting this suspicion, and the suspect has previously been questioned in a similar investigation file. There are statements and documents indicating that the suspect engaged in actions aimed at influencing the outcome of matches. Given the current evidence in the file, there is a suspicion that the suspect may flee, and due to the nature of the suspect's actions, judicial control would be insufficient. It was requested that the suspect be arrested due to the possibility of tampering with or concealing evidence, and it was observed that he did not accept the charges during his interrogation.
EVALUATION REGARDING THE REQUEST FOR ARREST AND DECISIONS ON THEIR ARRESTS,
OR DECISIONS ON THEIR BEING PLACED UNDER JUDICIAL CONTROL
1- Regarding suspect Murat ÖZKAYA:
2- According to the examined file; considering the nature of the crime attributed to the suspect, the upper limit of the penalty, the fact that the crime attributed to the suspect is among catalog crimes, and the current evidence situation, it was decided to ARREST suspect Murat ÖZKAYA in accordance with Articles 11/1-2 of Law No. 6222 on the Prevention of Violence and Disorder in Sports.
Since all evidence has been collected, and as a result of the evaluation of the documents in the file, it has been understood that there are concrete evidence indicating strong suspicion of crime against the suspect, it was decided to ARREST the suspect for the crime of "Influencing the Outcome of a Match" by instigation in accordance with Article 11/2 of Law No. 6222 and Article 38 of the Turkish Penal Code No. 5237.
CHARGE OF 'INFLUENCING THE OUTCOME OF A MATCH'
In a statement from the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was noted that an investigation was initiated upon the press release by the President of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, stating that "371 referees had betting accounts and 152 of them were found to be actively betting."
The statement mentioned that, considering that referees are public officials, the monetary values of betting games evaluated as contrary to their duties, the income they obtained from their refereeing duties, and the comparison with their own income outside of their duties were examined, along with the allegations of match-fixing and influencing the outcome of matches as stated in the Law on the Prevention of Violence and Disorder in Sports.
The statement indicated that as a result of the investigation, an initial decision was made to detain 17 referees for "abuse of duty" and for the crime of "influencing the outcome of a match" as stated in Law No. 6222.
Additionally, due to the evaluation of actions aimed at influencing the outcome of matches in football leagues, an arrest decision was made regarding M.Ö, the president of a football club in the Trendyol Super League, and regarding Turgay Ciner, a former owner of a club, and former president Mehmet Fatih Saraç for the crime of "influencing the outcome of a match" as stated in Law No. 6222. It was also mentioned that an arrest decision was made for Umut Eken, who was evaluated to have shared misleading information and documents on social media by making manipulative posts of uncertain origin, for the crime of "publicly disseminating misleading information," and a total of 21 suspects were reported to have arrest warrants issued against them.
OPERATION PROCESS
In the operation carried out, Eyüpspor President Murat Özkaya, along with former Kasımpaşa Sports Activities AŞ President Fatih Saraç, and referees Ahmet Kıvanç Kader, Arif Taşkın, Baran Karaman, Batuhan Topçu, Bedirhan Efe Akdoğan, Cihad Buyurgan, Erkan Arslan, Miraç Yıldırım, Mustafa Özel, Nevzat Okat, Nurullah Kırbaş, Sabri Emre Tekin, Şenol Bektaş, Ufuk Tatlıcan, Umut Kaptan, Yakup Yapıcı, and Yasin Şen were detained. Suspect Fatih Saraç was released after his procedures at the police station.
As part of the investigation, Umut Eken, who was determined to be abroad and had an arrest warrant issued for sharing misleading information and documents on social media, was captured at Istanbul Airport upon his return from Germany.
It was also noted that Turgay Ciner, who had an arrest warrant issued in the investigation regarding the allegation that referees were betting, was reported to be abroad.