The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office decided to release 5 detained defendants in the case where 52 defendants, including club managers and football players, were tried regarding betting and match-fixing allegations in football.
Some detained and undetained defendants and their lawyers attended the hearing at the Istanbul 3rd Criminal Court of First Instance.
The defendants who made their defense at the hearing did not accept the accusations made against them.
It was stated that the two club presidents made an agreement for the Ankaraspor-Nazilli Belediyespor match played in 2024 to end in a draw, and this agreement was also conveyed to the technical staff and players.
THEY WERE RELEASED IN THE INVESTIGATION OF ANKARASPOR-NAZİLLİ BELEDİYESPOR MATCH
Announcing its interim decision, the court ordered the release of the detained defendants Ankaraspor’s owner Ahmet Okatan, Ankaraspor Club President Mehmet Emin Katipoğlu, Ankaraspor Technical Officer Volkan Erten, Nazilli Belediyespor President Şahin Kaya, Nazilli Belediyespor Coach Gürhan Sönmez.
The hearing was postponed to May 8 to correct the missing issues.
ACCUSES: “THEY DID NOT INTEND TO SCORE”
In the 46-page indictment prepared by the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, 52 people, 5 of whom are detained, are listed as “suspects”, Zonguldakspor Football Club Inc. as “damaged by the crime”, and Ankaraspor and Nazilli Belediyespor as “materially responsible”.
In the indictment, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) 2nd League White Group was ex officio in Ankara pursuant to Article 11 of the Law No. 6222 on the Prevention of Violence and Disorder in Sports, in terms of allegations published in various media outlets regarding the match played between Ankaraspor-Nazillispor men’s football teams at the Etimesgut Municipality Atatürk Stadium on April 28, 2024, and which were not in accordance with the natural flow of the football game. It is stated that an investigation was launched and the investigation was sent to Istanbul with a decision of lack of jurisdiction.
According to the reports prepared by the experts about the match subject to the investigation, it is understood that the match took place in the form of turning the ball around for both teams, that the teams did not put pressure on each other, that they passed the ball back to the defenders or the goalkeeper to pass the time, and that they did not aim to score goals or gain superiority over each other.
In the indictment, it is pointed out that in the match in question, the coaches made an unusual change in the players on the field, Nazillispor player Tibet Öniz, who joined the match later, received the ball during a potentially dangerous run in the 88th minute, but did not try to win the ball he lost, and after this position, some Ankaraspor team players reacted significantly to Öniz regarding the potentially dangerous position.
In the indictment, it is stated that the agreement reached by the club presidents to determine the outcome of the match in advance was conveyed to the technical staff and players before the match, and it is evaluated that “It is established that the coaches also made changes in the players on the field in a suspicious way in line with the match-fixing agreement, and that they committed the alleged crime by not intervening in the game during the match in accordance with the agreement, knowing the existence of the match-fixing agreement, and contributing to the conclusion of the sports competition in accordance with the agreement.”
In the indictment, it is stated that Ankaraspor team went to the play-offs to move up to the next league, and Nazillispor’s stay in the league was confirmed, as the match result ended in a goalless draw as previously determined, and Zonguldakspor Football Club’s relegation was mathematically confirmed, even though there was 1 week left until the end of the league, and it was relegated at the end of the league.
REQUESTED PENALTIES
In the indictment, detained defendants Ankaraspor Club President Mehmet Emin Katipoğlu, Nazilli Belediyespor President Şahin Kaya, Ankaraspor Club owner Ahmet Okatan, Nazilli Belediyespor Coach Gürhan Sönmez and Ankaraspor Technical Officer Volkan Erten, and unarrested defendant coaches Halit Egesoy, Olcay Şahan, Ankaraspor Coach Serdar Özdemir, Abdurrezak Murat Türkar, Ankaraspor Goalkeeper Coach. It is requested that 52 people, including Ahmet Durak, Ankaraspor Coach Hüseyin Yahyaoğlu and the football players, be punished with imprisonment from 1.5 to 4.5 years and a judicial fine of 30 thousand liras each for the crime of “match-fixing and incentive bonus” within the scope of the “Law No. 6222 on the Prevention of Violence and Disorder in Sports”.
If the defendants are sentenced, they are also asked to serve in the management and control bodies of sports clubs, federations and legal entities within which sports activities are carried out, and to be banned from watching sports competitions.