09.12.2025 10:11
The statements reflected in the referral letter of the betting investigation have caused a seismic impact in the football world. It has been revealed that a club president placed bets on goals being scored in his own match, and many players also bet on their own team's matches. Out of 39 suspects, 20 have been arrested, and the investigation is continuing to expand. Here are the details...
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has referred 39 individuals, including football players, club officials, and referees, to the courthouse in its investigation into allegations of "Betting" and "Match-fixing" in football. The peace criminal court issued arrest warrants for 20 individuals, while 19 were released under judicial control.
DETAIL FROM THE REFERRAL LETTER THAT CAUSED A STIR: MUTUAL GOALS IN HIS OWN MATCH
A detail in the prosecutor's referral letter has resonated widely within the football community. According to information reflected in the correspondence, a club president placed a bet on "mutual goals" in his own team's match, which ended with a score of 5-1. This situation revealed the extent of the investigation.
ARDA TÜRKEN'S FILE: BETTING ON HIS OWN TEAM'S MATCH
The referral letter contained striking information regarding player Arda Türken. Türken:
- Was a member of a legal betting site,
- Bet on "Bandırmaspor–Sakaryaspor" match for mutual goals while his contract with Sakaryaspor was still ongoing,
- Digital examinations revealed WhatsApp conversations and betting slips related to the crime.
The prosecutor's office stated that the player placed bets on his own match for "personal gain," thus affecting the outcome of the competition.
MUHAMMED FURKAN ÖZHAN: MUTUAL GOALS AND DRAW
It was also determined that Erzurumspor player Muhammed Furkan Özhan was registered with a local betting site and placed bets on his own team's matches during his playing period as follows:
Digital examinations found messages indicating that the player was betting, and the prosecutor's office emphasized that the actions aimed to influence the outcome.
YUSUF ÖZDEMİR: 50 BETS ON HIS OWN TEAM'S MATCH
Yusuf Özdemir, who plays for Alanyaspor:
- Placed 50 bets on the Alanyaspor–Hatayspor match played on January 20, 2022,
- Bet on "over 2.5" and made a profit,
- In other matches, he played "the opponent wins."
- It was noted that there were betting contents in WhatsApp conversations.
ORKUN ÖZDEMİR: OPPONENT TEAM WINS
Orkun Özdemir, who was found to have placed bets while playing for Ümraniyespor, was determined to have bet on "the opponent wins" in the Ümraniyespor–Adana Demirspor match on February 23, 2021. The prosecutor's office assessed that the player's actions aimed to influence the match result.
KADİR KAAN YURDAKUL: BETTING ON HIS OWN TEAM'S MATCH
Kadir Kaan Yurdakul from Manisaspor also had a membership on a legal betting site:
- During his time at Pazarspor, he bet on "over 2.5" in his own match,
- Digital examinations recorded betting contents and images of slips related to his team's matches.
- Yurdakul claimed in his statement that he placed bets with low amounts and did not generate income, but the prosecutor's office found his statement unconvincing.
The referral letter sent to the peace criminal court with a request for arrest included findings related to suspects Ahmet Okatan, owner of Ankaraspor Club, Mehmet Emin Katipoğlu, President of Ankaraspor Club, Şahin Kaya, President of Nazilli Belediyespor, Gürhan Sünmez, and Volkan Erten.
The letter reminded that an investigation was initiated by the Ankara West Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on May 1, 2024, based on allegations in the press regarding the football match played between Ankaraspor and Nazilli Belediyespor on April 28, 2024, under Article 11 of the Law on the Prevention of Violence and Disorder in Sports.
PRESIDENTS HAVE DISCUSSED
The letter included a report prepared by an expert in June 2024, which found that there were phone conversations between suspect Mehmet Emin Katipoğlu, President of Ankaraspor, and suspect Şahin Kaya, President of Nazilli Belediyespor, on April 28 at 13:47 before the match, at 17:06 after the match, and at 14:29 the day after the match.
The match report included in the referral letter stated that there was clear and strong evidence that the course and outcome of the match were illegally influenced to obtain illicit betting profits, and that 69% of betting companies closed their bets early due to extremely suspicious odds indicating that the match would end in a draw.
The additional expert report obtained in November 2025 emphasized that the first and second halves of the match played between the two teams ended 0-0, and that the match was played in a "ball circulation" manner for both teams.
The report stated that the teams did not exert pressure on each other during the match, made "back passes" to defenders or the goalkeeper to waste time, and had no intention of scoring or gaining superiority over each other, noting that the match was occasionally interrupted due to injuries.
The findings in the report indicated that the only goal-scoring opportunity occurred in the 89th minute, where a Nazilli Belediyespor player attempted to attack the opposing goal but was blocked by Ankaraspor players before facing the goalkeeper, and after losing the ball, the Nazilli Belediyespor player made no effort to regain it despite being close to the ball.
Subsequently, the ball was cleared by an Ankaraspor player by passing it to his own player outside the penalty area, and after the referee stopped the game, the Ankaraspor player threw the ball out of play. The report stated that the referee approached player R.Y., and after the incident, three Ankaraspor players reacted to the Nazilli Belediyespor player who entered the position.
MUTUAL GOALS: 5-1
It was observed that the general statistics of the match included in the referral letter were 0.
In the examination of digital materials obtained from suspect Şahin Kaya, it was reported that conversations made before the match included content such as "Zonguldak was going to send a boost to Ankaraspor, we need to talk to him as soon as possible, uncle," and messages after the match included "You were saying things like I fixed the match, I called, don't say such things, uncle."
The suspect was noted to have placed a bet on "mutual goals" in the Nazilli-Soma match played in October 2024, and the letter stated that the match was won by Somaspor with a score of 5-1, as revealed by open-source research.