Turkish prosecutors escalated a sweeping investigation into match-fixing and illegal betting on November 7, issuing detention warrants for 21 individuals, including 17 professional referees and the president of a top-flight soccer club.
Coordinated, early-morning raids were carried out across Istanbul and 11 other provinces, leading to the detention of at least 18 suspects for questioning, according to the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office. The expanding probe has cast a long shadow over the integrity of the nation’s football leagues.
Referees Under Scrutiny for Abuse of Office
The 17 referees, identified only by their initials, are being investigated on potential charges of “abuse of office” and “influencing the outcome of a match.”
The high-profile arrests extended beyond officiating staff. Media reports confirmed that Murat Özkaya, president of Süper Lig club Eyüpspor, and Fatih Saraç, former owner of Kasımpaşa, were also detained for questioning as part of the widening corruption probe.
This is not the first corruption issue involving Kasımpaşa; the club was placed under trusteeship in September following a separate investigation into its former holding company, Can Holding.
Mass Suspensions and Betting Accounts
The scandal publicly erupted last week when the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) took drastic action, suspending 149 referees and assistant referees for periods ranging from eight to 12 months.
The TFF President, İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, revealed the shocking data that initiated the probe. He stated that a government agency had determined that 371 out of 571 active referees held accounts with betting companies.
Alarmingly, 152 referees were allegedly found to have placed bets on soccer matches. This group included seven top-level referees and 15 top-level assistant referees.
Hacıosmanoğlu further detailed the sheer volume of betting activity, noting that 10 referees placed bets on more than 10,000 matches each over a five-year period. One individual referee is alleged to have placed bets on a staggering 18,227 games, raising serious questions about the potential conflicts of interest within Turkish officiating.
Denials Amid Growing Evidence
In a joint statement, the referees vehemently denounced the “outrageous accusations,” strongly insisting that none of them had ever placed a bet on a match they had officiated. Some also claimed that their betting activity dated back only to their time as amateur referees.
Despite these denials, the ongoing investigation, now targeting key club officials alongside referees, suggests Turkish authorities are prepared to pursue the issue vigorously to restore confidence in the nation’s most popular sport.
