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A Turkish court ordered the detention of Eyupspor soccer club president Murat Ozkaya and three others Monday as part of an investigation into alleged betting activities by referees and match manipulation.
Istanbul's 11th Criminal Court of Peace approved arrest warrants for Ozkaya along with suspects Erkan Arslan, Nevzat Okat and Yakup Yapici following their court appearances. Six other suspects received judicial control measures including travel bans and mandatory reporting requirements.
The arrests stem from a coordinated operation conducted by Istanbul Police's Cybercrime Department across 13 provinces, including Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Diyarbakir. Authorities detained 21 suspects following technical and physical surveillance coordinated by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.
Among those initially detained were 17 referees, including Ahmet Kivanc Kader, Arif Taskin, Baran Karaman, Batuhan Topcu and others. Former Kasimpasa Sports Activities Inc. President Fatih Sarac was released after initial police processing.
The investigation was launched after Turkish Football Federation President Ibrahim Haciogmanoğlu announced publicly that "371 referees had betting accounts and 152 were actively gambling." Prosecutors treated the statement as an official complaint.
Authorities are examining whether the referees' gambling activities constitute misconduct, given their status as public officials. Investigators are comparing the monetary value of bets placed with the referees' official salaries and outside income.
The probe also encompasses potential violations of Türkiye's Law on Prevention of Violence and Disorder in Sports, specifically provisions related to match-fixing and influencing competition outcomes.
Prosecutors said they are investigating whether actions were taken to influence match results in Turkish soccer leagues. The charges against Ozkaya and others include "influencing competition outcomes" under Law No. 6222.
Social media personality Umut Eken was detained at Istanbul Airport upon his return from Germany on charges of "publicly disseminating misleading information" for allegedly making manipulative posts with unclear sources during the investigation.
Turgay Ciner, who faces an arrest warrant in a separate investigation involving Can Holding and is also wanted in the referee betting probe, remains abroad, according to officials.
Court proceedings continue for nine additional suspects at the 7th Criminal Court of Peace.
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