Super Lig club in trouble: Allegations of 'betting on their own match'

A striking allegation has emerged regarding Emrah Çelik, the 2nd President of Süper Lig team Antalyaspor. According to court records, it is claimed that Çelik placed bets on his own team's matches while serving as an executive at the club. This allegation has led to a new dimension in the comprehensive betting investigation conducted by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF).

THREE-STAGE INVESTIGATION BY THE TFF

The betting investigation conducted by the TFF is being carried out in three stages. While referees were targeted in the first stage and players in the second, it was stated that the third wave would cover club presidents, executives, managers, and head coaches.

While it was noted that the penalties given to referees and players are individual, it was emphasized that misconduct by executives would bring direct penalties to their clubs.

EYÜPSPOR WAS THE FIRST EXAMPLE

Eyüpspor was the first to come to the agenda within the scope of the betting investigation. Club President Murat Özkaya was arrested on charges of "influencing the results of competitions." Following Eyüpspor, Antalyaspor's name has now appeared in court records.

COURT DOCUMENTS REVEALED

According to court files, Emrah Çelik served as an executive at Antalyaspor between 2021 and 2023. In April 2024, he initiated enforcement proceedings against S.B., who operates an Iddaa betting shop in the Muratpaşa district of Antalya, due to a debt of 2 million TL.

S.B. objected to the debt and submitted the correspondence between him and Çelik, as well as bank receipts totaling 2 million 424 thousand TL, to the file.

ALLEGATION OF BETTING ON HIS OWN TEAM'S MATCH

According to the report by Yeniçağ, Emrah Çelik sent the matches he wanted to bet on via mobile phone to S.B. via message, and sent the payments through his company account. A note saying "sending debt" was written in the description section of the sent money.

It was claimed that Çelik wanted the money he won from betting to be transferred to his personal account, that he deposited 600 thousand TL on some matches, and that he placed a total of 2 million 800 thousand TL in bets within one month.

According to the most striking allegation, Çelik bet that his team would win 4-0 in the Kayserispor–Antalyaspor match played on March 3, 2023, and earned 475 thousand TL from this coupon.

When the betting shop operator submitted the WhatsApp correspondence and betting coupons to the court, Çelik withdrew from the lawsuit and the file was closed.

The name of Antalyaspor 2nd President Emrah Çelik does not yet appear in the official betting investigation conducted by the TFF. However, it is a matter of curiosity what steps the federation will take after these allegations reflected in the court records.

It was stated that the federation could have an Ethics Committee report prepared regarding Emrah Çelik, as in the case of Eyüpspor President Murat Özkaya, within the scope of the allegation of "influencing the results of competitions."

PENALTY IS RELEGATION ACCORDING TO INSTRUCTIONS

In accordance with Article 56 of the Football Disciplinary Instructions, if executives place bets on their own teams, their clubs are given a penalty of relegation to a lower league.

The article includes the following statements:

"It is forbidden to influence the result or process of a competition in a way that is contrary to the law or sports ethics. Persons who commit this act are given a permanent ban from sports activities. In case it is committed by club executives, a penalty of relegation to a lower league is applied to the clubs."

In cases of serious violations, a 12-point deduction penalty or a direct relegation sanction is foreseen.

HOW WILL THE PROCESS WORK?

Following the report to be prepared by the Ethics Committee, the TFF Board of Directors will refer the file to the Professional Football Disciplinary Board. After the decision to be made by the board, possible objections will be evaluated by the Arbitration Board.