An investigation by the Istanbul Prosecutor General's Office has opened a new scandal in Turkish football. Cases have been initiated against 21 individuals suspected of illegal involvement in bookmaking activities. 18 of them were arrested by court order. According to official data, among those arrested is the president of a club competing in the country's Super League.
According to Anadolu Agency, the investigation process lasted several months and resulted in the discovery of a large-scale illegal bookmaking activity. Investigators are also investigating the possibility of manipulating the results of the competition through some members of this gang.
Prior to this incident, the Turkish Football Federation took drastic measures. The Federation's Disciplinary Committee announced the suspension of 149 professional referees from competitions for a period of 8 months to 1 year due to bookmaking charges.
The head of the federation, Ibrahim Hajjiosmanoğlu, called this situation a "moral crisis in Turkish football." According to him, internal investigations conducted in recent months have revealed that 42 referees have been betting on more than 1,000 matches. One of them single-handedly bet more than 18,000 times.
"We need to clean up football. This is not just a result, but a matter of trust, value, and etiquette. In any case, regardless of who they are, they must answer before the law," Hajjiosmanoglu said at a press conference.
Experts emphasize that this conflict is a serious signal regarding flaws within the entire system, not just at the level of referees or clubs. Some sports analysts suggest this case could be one of the largest bookmaking scandals in the history of Turkish football.
Currently, the prosecutor's office is analyzing the financial transactions and telephone conversations of the accused. At the same time, the Turkish Ministry of Internal Affairs decided to expand the scope of the investigation and check the activities of some arbitrators and agents.
This event caused a lot of discussion in the Turkish public. Football fans are demanding that the system be cleaned and transparency ensured on social networks. This situation, according to many, once again demonstrated the need for reform not only in the sports arena, but in the entire football sphere.
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