Breaking News... Major development in the betting investigation! Chief Public Prosecutor's Office signals new operations

The investigation, launched after the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) President İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu's press statement on October 27, 2025, claiming that "371 referees were found to have betting accounts and 152 were actively placing bets," is expanding.

Conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the initial phase saw search, seizure, and detention measures applied to 21 individuals, mostly referees, with eight people, including the president of Eyüpspor, being arrested.

Within the scope of the betting investigation, the TFF has referred 1,024 football players to the Professional Football Disciplinary Board (PFDK) with precautionary measures following the referees and executives. 102 players were given penalties ranging from 45 days to 12 months.

STATEMENT FROM THE CHIEF PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE: NEW OPERATIONS COMING

Finally, a file was also opened for the betting investigation in Antalya. The file in Antalya was also sent to Istanbul. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office is continuing the investigation.

According to the statement made by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was reported that the betting investigation in football is expanding.

In the statement made by Chief Prosecutor Akın Gürlek, a signal was given that new operations would be coming.

The statement made by Gürlek included the following remarks:

“The investigation conducted by the TFF and the one we are conducting are different. We are not directly tied to them. There is no situation where an investigation will be opened regarding every player banned by the PFDK. It does not require a judicial investigation. They file reports to us. We do what is necessary. There is misinformation on this subject. We have an information pool. First, the federation presidency issues a penalty regarding a referee, and they report it to us.

Apart from this, we have CİMER and a tip-off hotline; there are many complaints this way. There are witness statements. There are witness statements we have heard ex officio. We definitely obtain a MASAK report. We have an agreement with UEFA and INTERPOL. They will send us a list. We may carry out another operation in the coming days. We want football to be cleaned up.”

“YOU WILL ALSO SEE CLUB PRESIDENTS IN THE OPERATIONS”

“We will go to the end of the investigation. You will see not only referees but also club presidents in the operations. MASAK HTS reports are important. We are waiting for the institutions we work with abroad to send their documents. Let there be no negative perception here. We care about the right to the presumption of innocence.”

WHAT DOES THE FOOTBALL DISCIPLINARY INSTRUCTION SAY?

Article 56 of the Football Disciplinary Instruction, titled Influencing the outcome of a match:

(1) It is prohibited to influence the outcome or process of a match in a manner contrary to law or sports ethics. Providing incentive bonuses is also within this scope.

(a) Individuals who commit the aforementioned violations shall be given a permanent ban from rights,

(b) In the event that the aforementioned violations are committed by club executives, the relevant clubs shall be relegated to a lower league,

(c) Individuals responsible for the violation may also be fined.

(2) Attempting the violations specified in the 1st paragraph is prohibited.

(a) In case of an attempt, the relevant individuals shall be given a ban from matches or a ban from rights for a period of 1 to 3 years.

Article 57:

"It is prohibited for persons within the scope of this Instruction to place bets or participate in similar games of chance, directly or indirectly, on football matches and/or any activity related to football. Persons who act in violation of this shall be punished with a ban from matches or a ban from rights for a period of three months to one year."

News Source: 12punto