Betting scandal turns into match-fixing investigation: Club presidents agreed on a draw!

The written decisions of the criminal courts of peace regarding some suspects arrested within the scope of the "betting in football" investigation have been released to the public. The investigation, conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, contains striking findings, particularly regarding club presidents and football players.

The court's decision stated that Nazilli Belediyespor President Şahin Kaya and Ankaraspor President Mehmet Emin Katipoğlu reached an agreement to shape the result of a match in favor of a draw.

The decision text shared significant findings regarding the suspect Murat Sancak, based on MASAK (Financial Crimes Investigation Board) reports. According to the report, it was determined that Sancak sent money to 63 individuals who were flagged in intelligence reports regarding illegal betting activities.

Sancak's financial movements included the following transactions:

He received a total of 1 billion 226 million 831 thousand 677 TL in money transfers across 1,157 transactions,

And he sent 1 billion 197 million 469 thousand 550 TL across 8,799 transactions,

It was noted that he and the companies he is a partner in had a very high volume of money traffic with Adana Demirspor Club, Adana Demirspor Futbol AŞ, and Adana Demirspor Sportif Yatırımlar ve Ticaret AŞ.

FOOTBALL PLAYERS' BETTING SLIP RECORDS EXAMINED

The written decision also included details regarding the bets placed by football players.

Regarding Orkun Özdemir:

It was stated that during his time playing for Ümraniyespor, he placed bets on "both teams to score," "total goals," and "match result,"

That he bet on the "away team to win" for the Ümraniyespor–Adana Demirspor match on February 23, 2021,

And that his digital materials contained conversations indicating he placed bets on his own team.

Regarding Kadir Kaan Yurdakul:

It was stated that while playing for Pazarspor, he placed a bet on the Serik Belediyespor–Pazarspor match dated December 9, 2020,

And that his digital records showed he placed bets and sent an image of a winning betting slip to another person.

Regarding Faruk Genç:

It was reported that he was a contracted player for Trabzonspor between June 10, 2019, and May 31, 2024,

That he played for different clubs on temporary contracts during this period,

And that during his time at Trabzonspor AŞ, he bet on the "away team to win" in the Trabzonspor–Başakşehir, Trabzonspor–Beşiktaş, Trabzonspor–Kasımpaşa, and Trabzonspor–Yeni Malatyaspor matches.

MATCH-FIXING SUSPICION IN ANKARASPOR–NAZİLLİ MATCH

The court's decision included notable assessments regarding the Ankaraspor–Nazilli Belediyespor match played in the TFF 2nd League White Group on April 28, 2024.

The decision listed the following findings:

An expert report was found supporting the allegations that the match was fixed.

Telephone conversations between the two club presidents, Mehmet Emin Katipoğlu and Şahin Kaya, were detected before, after, and the day following the match.

In the examination of Şahin Kaya's digital materials:

Images of illegal betting slips related to the club he owns were found,

Information was shared that Kaya sent an image of a betting slip to an individual for the Nazilli–Soma match played on October 9, 2024, betting on "both teams to score."

It was reported that the match in question ended in a 5-1 victory for Somaspor.

Additionally, the file included findings that two days before this match, Kaya sent location information to the Ankaraspor president.

The court stated that when all obtained findings are evaluated together:

The draw result secured Ankaraspor's chance for the play-offs,

And ensured Nazilli Belediyespor's chance of remaining in the league,

Therefore, it was concluded that both parties would benefit from the situation.

In line with HTS (call detail) records and digital examinations, the following assessment was included:

The club presidents reached an agreement for the match to end in a draw,

It is contrary to the ordinary flow of life for this agreement to have been carried out without the knowledge of club owner Ahmet Okatan,

The presidents conveyed the agreement they made to the technical staff and the players,

It was determined that no shots were taken and no goal-scoring opportunities occurred during the match,

And the technical staff did not make any interventions in the game in this direction.