10.11.2025 20:14
Among the 19 suspects, including 17 referees and Eyüpspor President Murat Özkaya, a request for arrest has been submitted to the Peace Criminal Court.
After the statements of TFF President İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu regarding some referees allegedly placing bets, a significant development occurred in the investigation initiated by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.
REQUEST FOR ARREST OF 19 PEOPLE, 1 PRESIDENT AND 17 REFEREES
The request for the arrest of a total of 19 suspects, including Eyüpspor President Murat Özkaya, who is among the 17 referees, was referred to the Peace Criminal Court.
DIFFERENT ALLEGATIONS LED TO ARREST WARRANTS
Following the technical and physical surveillance conducted by the Cyber Crime Department of the Istanbul Police Department, coordinated by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, simultaneous operations were carried out in Istanbul, Ankara, Şanlıurfa, Kütahya, Manisa, İzmir, Trabzon, Diyarbakır, Bolu, Edirne, Malatya, Antalya, and Kırklareli after an arrest warrant was issued for 21 suspects.
In the operation, 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, including Eyüpspor President Murat Özkaya and former Kasımpaşa Sports Activities AŞ President Fatih Saraç.
As part of the investigation, Umut Eken, who was issued an arrest warrant for sharing misleading information and documents through manipulative posts on social media, was caught at Istanbul Airport while entering the country from Germany. It was also reported that Turgay Ciner, who had an arrest warrant related to the investigation into the claim that referees were betting, was abroad.
STATEMENT FROM THE ISTANBUL CHIEF PUBLIC PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE
In a statement from the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was noted that an investigation was conducted following the press release by Turkey Football Federation (TFF) President İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, which stated that "371 referees have betting accounts and it has been determined that 152 of them are actively betting."
The statement indicated that, considering the referees are public officials, the monetary values of the betting games deemed contrary to their duties, the income they obtained from their refereeing duties, and the comparison of their own incomes outside of their duties were examined, along with the allegations of match-fixing and influencing match results as stated in the Law on the Prevention of Violence and Disorder in Sports.
It was reported that as a result of the initial examination, an arrest warrant was issued for 17 referees for "abuse of duty" and for the crime of "influencing the result of the competition" as stated in Law No. 6222.
Additionally, due to the evaluation of actions aimed at influencing the result of the competition in football leagues, an arrest warrant was issued for M.Ö, the president of a football club in the Trendyol Super League, and for Turgay Ciner, the former owner of a club, and former president Mehmet Fatih Saraç for the crime of "influencing the result of the competition" as stated in Law No. 6222. The statement also mentioned that an arrest warrant was issued for Umut Eken, who was deemed to have shared misleading information and documents through manipulative posts on social media, for the crime of "publicly disseminating misleading information," and that a total of 21 suspects were issued arrest warrants in the investigation.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Following the statements of Turkey Football Federation President İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu regarding some referees allegedly placing bets, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office initiated an investigation.
Hacıosmanoğlu stated that there are 371 referees with betting accounts and that it has been determined that 152 of them are actively betting. It was reported that the Professional Football Discipline Board (PFDK) of the TFF imposed bans ranging from 8 to 12 months on 149 referees, and that investigations are ongoing for 3 referees.
As part of the investigation, arrest warrants were issued for 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, Yasin Şen, and Eyüpspor Club President Murat Özkaya for "Abuse of Duty" and "Influencing the Result of the Competition"; journalist Umut Eken was issued an arrest warrant for "Publicly Disseminating Misleading Information" for sharing misleading information and documents through manipulative posts on social media.