The dark side of football revealed: 'This is now a match-fixing operation,' he said

A match-fixing operation that will deeply shake Turkish football began this morning with an investigation launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. Following the betting scandal announced by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), 18 referees, Eyüpspor President Murat Özkaya, former Kasımpaşa President Fatih Saraç, and 21 others were detained in simultaneous operations across 12 provinces. The operation is expected to have a profound impact on Turkish football.

Legal expert Emin Özkurt stated that the ongoing operation has deeply exposed the match-fixing network in Turkish football. Özkurt said, "This network has wrapped itself around Turkish football like a spider's web. I can say that we are now witnessing a real match-fixing investigation. This does not target just a few clubs; it is a problem that has spread throughout Turkish football in general."

FROM BETTING OPERATION TO MATCH-FIXING FILE

Özkurt noted that the investigation had previously been proceeding regarding betting, but turned into a match-fixing file with the initiative of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. "An investigation regarding match-fixing is now being conducted. Efforts directed at match-fixing have begun. With this operation, I can say that an open match-fixing file aimed at influencing results, not just betting, has been initiated," he stated.

CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS EXPECTED

Stating that the operation will proceed under Law No. 6222 on the Prevention of Violence and Disorder in Sports, Özkurt emphasized that for the crime of match-fixing, a prison sentence of 1.5 to 4.5 years and judicial fines could be applied. "The path to punishing those who engage in match-fixing will be opened in connection with this operation. The criminal trial process is also expected to be initiated immediately," he said.

QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED TO THE EYÜPSPOR PRESIDENT

The questions directed at the detained Eyüpspor President Murat Özkaya and other suspects have also begun to become clear. Özkurt added, "The Eyüpspor President will be asked which matches, with which referees, and with which players he carried out betting transactions. These questions will be important steps that will allow the match-fixing operation to deepen."

It was stated that in accordance with Article 25 of the Football Competition Instruction, the registration of matches where match-fixing is detected could be canceled, and disciplinary penalties could be applied to clubs during this process. "If the number of detected matches is high, the TFF could make a re-evaluation and carry out changes in the league standings," said Özkurt, issuing an important warning about how the match-fixing investigation will affect football.