Following investigations, 21 people were taken into custody after accusations of being linked to the sports betting scandal in Turkey. Murat Ozkaya, president of Eyüpspor, a first division club, and 17 referees are among those accused. The information was confirmed by the country’s Attorney General’s Office on Friday (7).
The former owner of Kasimpasa, another club in the Turkish top division, Fatih Sarac, also had his arrest warrant confirmed so he can answer to the authorities.
Furthermore, it’s worth remembering that in September of this year, Kasimpasa was under judicial intervention. At the time, the company that owned the club was under investigation for corruption.
The police action is a consequence of the recent complaint from Turkish Football Federation (TFF). On that occasion, The immediate suspension of 149 referees and assistant referees occurred. According to the organization’s statement, the professionals were placing bets while working in Super Lig (Turkish Championship) matches.
According to the TFF, the amounts earned by the referees underwent analysis. “The amounts involved in the gambling were analyzed, considering behaviors contrary to the obligations of their duties, taking into account the fact that the referees are public officials.”
“The income obtained through arbitration and its external sources of income, as well as allegations of match-fixing, were also analyzed,” TFF reported.
How many referees who officiated in professional football had accounts on betting platforms?
Therefore, according to TFF investigations, 371 of the 571 referees working in professional football in Turkey had accounts on online platforms. However, of that number, 152 of them frequently placed bets.
According to Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu, president of the FFT, the professionals will go through the organization’s disciplinary committee. “As a federation, we have to start by cleaning our own backyard.”
“Among those discovered with betting accounts, there were seven top-level referees, 15 top assistants, 36 ranked referees, and 94 ranked assistants. They will be referred to the disciplinary committee and will face the necessary punishments, according to our regulations,” said the FFT president.