Football

Home page

Football

Türkiye to launch operation against club presidents and referees over illegal betting

20 November 2025 13:48 (UTC +04:00)

Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek has commented on the investigation being conducted regarding betting activities in football, APA reports, citing NTV.

To date, six referees, a club president, and a journalist have been detained, and football players have also been involved in the investigation.

According to the Chief Prosecutor, their investigation differs from that of the Turkish Football Federation: “There can be no question of initiating an investigation regarding players who have been penalised by the Professional Football Disciplinary Board. A judicial investigation is not required for this. They inform us about it, and we take the necessary measures. There is a lack of information on this matter. First, the federation leadership penalises the referee, then they inform us.”

Akın Gürlek noted that they have an agreement with UEFA and Interpol: “They will send us a list. We may conduct another operation in the coming days. We want football to be cleaned up. We will finalize the investigation. In the operations, you will see not only referees but also club presidents.”