20.05.2026 23:30
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Kayseri Deputy Baki Ersoy said in his speech at the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) General Assembly, 'The TMSF does not have the authority to manage 2 clubs in a single league. We say Eyüpspor and Kasımpaşa should be relegated, the law says so.'
MHP Kayseri Deputy Baki Ersoy spoke during the discussions on the bill regarding amendments to certain laws at the Turkish Grand National Assembly General Assembly.
''OUR FOOTBALL TEAMS WERE VICTIMIZED''
Referring to the betting and match-fixing operations in the Super League, Ersoy said, "The Turkish Football Federation launched betting and match-fixing operations in October, and thus, starting with football players and referees, the accounts of thousands of football players and hundreds of referee colleagues were examined along with their Turkish ID numbers. As a result of these investigations, some individuals received certain administrative and judicial penalties. However, since this issue came to the agenda for the first time in Turkey in this way and emerged mid-season, our football teams suffered greatly. Particularly in lower leagues, it was determined that 18 football players from a team with 25 football players played these games on some of our state's betting sites by entering their own Turkish ID numbers, and they received administrative penalties; some received a three-month deprivation of rights penalty, some six months, some twelve months, unfortunately. When we asked these brother football players, 'Why did you do such a thing?', they said, 'We didn't know,' they did it out of unawareness; otherwise, I also believe no one would commit a crime by entering their own Turkish ID number. I had personally conveyed this to our Minister, our Sports Minister Osman Aşkın Bak, at our Planning and Budget Commission at that time. Lower clubs, clubs in lower leagues, especially in the 3rd League, clubs in the 2nd League, when 17 out of 25 football players received a deprivation of rights penalty, the entire balance was disrupted. Club presidents say this: 'We made transfers, okay; the league started, okay; the Turkish Football Federation, which licenses this league, allowed these football players to start playing, but such a thing happened mid-season. The structure we established in our teams already receives 6-7 million TL annually from the federation, but large budgets are needed. The structure we built is going in a different direction,' they complained, and they stated there was an injustice here," he said.
''BOTH NEED TO BE RELEGATED''
Stating that the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (SDIF) cannot manage two separate clubs in one league, Baki Ersoy continued his words as follows: "Additionally, on February 20, there was an operation launched by our Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, an investigation, which our Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office announced. It said: '33 executives placed bets against their own teams.' We said to the Turkish Football Federation the next day: 'Come on, who are these 33 executives? Which clubs are they executives of? Disclose them. This is clear in directive 56; you will either deduct 12 points or relegate them from the league, do this,' but unfortunately, for three months, the Turkish ID numbers did not arrive. Today, the Turkish Football Federation made a statement saying, 'They arrived today,' but interestingly, the league was registered the day before. There are 18 Super League clubs. If each of these 18 football clubs had fifteen executives, you could have checked 270 people in one day. When it turns out they placed bets, when there is a 12-point deduction, when there is relegation, what kind of league ranking will await us? Regarding this, our esteemed General Chairman, our elder Mr. Devlet Bahçeli, expressed a will saying, 'Let it continue with 21 clubs in the 21st century.' This was for the following reason: If there is such chaos this year in the betting and match-fixing environment, he made such a prediction and said this twenty days ago, before the leagues ended, before those being relegated and promoted were determined, to ensure no one experiences injustice. But of course, we conveyed this to the federation. Yesterday, unfortunately, the Turkish Football Federation hastily expressed such a will before the last team to be promoted to the Super League was determined, that is, before the Çorumspor and Erokspor match was completed, whether Erokspor or Çorumspor would be promoted, this was not yet known. We, as people who love football, have supported and continue to support the Turkish Football Federation; of course, we respect the decisions made, but there are realities. For example, there are two clubs managed by the SDIF, Eyüpspor and Kasımpaşa. The SDIF does not have the authority to manage two clubs within one league. They have managed these two clubs for twenty days, and we say both need to be relegated, the law says so, we say."