Breaking News... Statement from the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on the betting investigation: A new wave is coming!

In a statement regarding the investigation into the betting scandal in football, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office stated that they are not limited to the names reported by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) and that in-depth analysis is being conducted through a vast, continuously updated data pool.

The Prosecutor's Office announced that the investigation will be systematically expanded in line with the evidence obtained. The statement noted that they are not relying solely on the names and information provided by the TFF, but are also investigating the assets of referees, their connections with each other and other individuals deemed suspicious, and specifically whether referees have been placing illegal bets from abroad on matches they officiated.

The statement from the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office included the following:

In the ongoing investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, following the press statement made by TFF (Turkish Football Federation) President İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu on 27/10/2025, in which he stated that "371 referees were found to have betting accounts and

152 of them were determined to be actively placing bets," which was accepted as a formal notification,

In the first phase, operational activities were carried out in the form of search, seizure, and detention measures against twenty-one individuals, the majority of whom were referees; eight of these individuals have been arrested, and investigations regarding the remaining referees are still ongoing,

During the investigation, it is not limited to the names and information reported by the Turkish Football Federation; the assets of the referees, their connections with each other and other individuals deemed suspicious, and specifically whether the referees have been placing illegal bets from abroad on the matches they officiated are being investigated, and checks are being performed from a large information pool that is updated with new data every day,

At this stage, since the Turkish Football Federation is also conducting disciplinary investigations into football players regarding allegations of betting, this matter is being followed with sensitivity. Furthermore, the identity information of the football players referred to the disciplinary board by the Turkish Football Federation in the first phase and the data regarding the betting allegations against them have been requested ex officio by accepting them as a notification, and the investigation into the players is also being deepened through the data pool as explained above,

Considering that our country's football constitutes a large structure and does not consist only of players and referees, and has many other stakeholders, there is a possibility that the current investigation will expand systematically with the evidence to be obtained as a result of the research. In this process, it is requested that the public should not rely on baseless social media posts. It is announced to the public that the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office is continuing its investigations with diligence, obtaining the most comprehensive information and documents directly and urgently from relevant private and public institutions in accordance with Article 160 of the Criminal Procedure Code (C.M.K.), both in obtaining evidence and in clarifying the names deemed suspicious."