Illegal betting investigation in football grows... 'The name of a very important manager is being mentioned'

The proceedings at the courthouse for 26 suspects detained in the illegal betting investigation in football, conducted under the coordination of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, have been completed.

Following the prosecutor's interrogations, 22 suspects, including former Galatasaray Sportif AŞ Deputy Chairman Erden Timur, were referred to the criminal judgeship of peace with a request for arrest, while 3 suspects were referred with a request for judicial control.

18 SUSPECTS ARRESTED

The decision regarding the suspects brought to court has been announced. As part of the investigation, 18 suspects, including Eyüpspor Deputy Chairman Fatih Kulaksız, were arrested and sent to prison. Judicial control provisions were applied to the other 3 suspects.

It was reported that among those arrested were 14 football players, as well as club executives and administrators. It was noted that 6 names in the file are specifically accused of influencing the outcome of the Kasımpaşa–Samsunspor match played on October 26, 2024.

ERDEN TİMUR'S FILE SEPARATED

The file of former Galatasaray Sportif AŞ Deputy Chairman Erden Timur, one of the notable names in the investigation, was separated from the main file following his statement to the prosecutor. Within the scope of the separately conducted process, Timur was arrested by the duty judgeship on charges of "laundering assets derived from crime."

According to the information in the prosecutor's referral for arrest, it was determined that 14 football players placed bets on matches they personally participated in on the field or joined later. The file included information that the players placed bets on their own teams or the victory of opposing teams.

During the examination of digital materials, illegal betting coupons belonging to the suspects were also found.

In a statement previously made by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was stated that the investigation was conducted based on MASAK reports, data obtained from legal betting sites, open-source scans, HTS records, and PFDK decisions. It was stated that new evidence was reached through the analysis of digital materials seized in previous operations.

It was reported that suspicious money movements were encountered during financial examinations, and connections were detected between bank accounts and betting accounts.

“A VERY IMPORTANT MANAGER'S NAME IS IN THE FILE”

A notable assessment regarding the investigation came from Sinan Burhan on tv100 screens. Stating that the file has a dimension that has not yet been reflected to the public, Burhan used the following expressions:

“In the coming days, the name of a very important manager is being mentioned in this betting investigation.”

“THE REAL BREAKING POINT IS WITH EXECUTIVES AND MANAGERS”

Sinan Burhan stated that the investigation could lead to more comprehensive results in the later stages regarding club presidents, executives, and managers, and said:

“The real crunch will come with club presidents, executives, and managers. That is when championships changing hands or relegations from the league will be discussed.”

OTHER NAMES MENTIONED IN THE INVESTIGATION

Among those mentioned in the file, in addition to Eyüpspor Deputy Chairman Fatih Kulaksız, was TFF Foreign Relations and National Teams Administrative Director Buğra Cem İmamoğulları. It was reported that proceedings were initiated against a large number of football players and names from the sports community as part of the operation.