17.11.2025 02:17
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office announced that the betting investigation, which started with referees and continued with players, could expand further.
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The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office made a new statement regarding the betting investigation that started some time ago. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office announced that the betting investigation, which began with referees and continued with players, could expand.
'THE EXPANSION OF THE INVESTIGATION IS POSSIBLE'
In the statement made, it was said, "It has not been limited to the names reported by the TFF, and in-depth analysis is being conducted through a constantly updated large data pool. Football is a large ecosystem that is not limited to referees and players. Based on the evidence obtained, it is possible for the investigation to systematically expand."
Here is the statement made by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office:
In the statement made by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was noted that the press release by TFF President İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu on October 27, stating that "371 referees have betting accounts and 152 of them have been found to be actively betting," was accepted as a tip-off, and in the ongoing investigation, an operation was carried out in the first phase against 21 individuals, mostly referees, in the form of search and seizure and detention measures, with 8 of them being arrested and the investigation into the remaining referees continuing.
The statement emphasized that "During the investigation, it was not limited to the names and information reported by the TFF; the assets of the referees, their connections with each other and other individuals deemed suspicious, especially whether the referees illegally placed bets from abroad on the matches they officiated, are being investigated, and controls are being conducted from a large information pool that is created and processed with new data every day."
It was also highlighted that due to the disciplinary investigation being conducted by the TFF regarding players accused of betting, this issue is being closely monitored, and it was stated that "In the first phase, the identity information of the players referred to the disciplinary committee by the Turkish Football Federation and the data regarding the betting allegations against them have been requested ex officio as a tip-off, and as explained above, the investigation into the players has been deepened from the data pool."
The statement recorded the following:
"Considering that our country's football constitutes a large structure and is not only composed of players and referees, but has many other stakeholders, there is a possibility of systematic expansion of the current investigation based on the evidence obtained as a result of the research conducted. It should be noted that especially unfounded social media posts should not be trusted during this process, and that the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office is conducting thorough investigations by obtaining direct and comprehensive information and documents from relevant private and public institutions in accordance with Article 160 of the Criminal Procedure Code regarding the collection of evidence and the clarification of individuals deemed suspicious."
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