Response from Fenerbahçe to the decision made for Galatasaray

The latest news: Fenerbahçe accepted the decision made regarding illegal betting on Galatasaray with a statement on its social media account.

The following statements were used in the statement made by the yellow-dark blue team:

“The news that the Galatasaray Sports Club made a sponsorship agreement that included the advertising of illegal betting companies and the statements and statements of the managers of the Galatasaray Sports Club that confirmed the accuracy of these news, that they have serious wounds cause in the public conscience.

These public statements made by the club’s managers within the framework of the sponsorship agreement and the developments regarding the process show how carefully and precisely the matter should be handled.

As is known, our Club has written to many public institutions, including the General Directorate of Spor Toto, requesting that the matter be investigated and evaluated sensitively; A criminal complaint was sent to the prosecutor’s office by the General Directorate of Spor Toto.

THE DECISION MADE BY THE PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE IS AGAINST THE PUBLIC INTEREST

It was learned that shortly after the criminal complaint was made, the Prosecutor’s Office made a “Non-Prosecution Decision”. We believe that this decision is against the basic principles of the Turkish legal system and the public interest.

We believe this decision was made with incomplete investigation and research. As Fenerbahçe Sports Club, we would like to share with you, our valued fans, and the public about the issues that have been neglected in this process, that have not been properly investigated, and must be assessed legally:

1. Statements against: The inconsistencies and statements against the managers of Galatasaray Sports Club that have been published in public have not been properly evaluated.

2. Ignoring the illegal connection: Although a simple search can easily find that the brand is involved in illegal betting, no real research has been done to in this regard.

3. Failure to obtain information from state institutions: Information and documents were not obtained from authorized state agencies such as the Information and Communication Technology Authority, Spor Toto, National Lottery and the police, and the details of the case were not investigated. .

4. If the Sponsorship Agreement is not examined: The sponsorship agreement was not called and examined, the parties in the negotiations regarding the agreement were not questioned, and the statements of the relevant parties were not taken.

5. Closing the file with an incomplete investigation: Although there was great suspicion about the illegal betting incident, the file was closed in a short time and insufficient evidence was collected.

6. Not questioning the statements: The prosecutor’s office could not explain how it decided that there was no criminal intent and what evidence it relied on, without taking to the statements of the parties.

7. Access Block and Suspicious Statements: Regarding a site where access blocking decisions have been made 735 times in the past three years, statements that reflect the very opposite of a prudent administrator’s course of action and are clear against the flow of ordinary life. , and which mocks public information, such as “we didn’t know”, has been responsible.

8. Role of TFF: The details of the licenses granted by the Turkish Football Federation and the process of canceling these licenses are not sufficiently clarified. Furthermore, even if TFF gives permission in this regard, it will not be important in terms of the moral element of the crime.

9. Question Marks Regarding Advertising Income: There was no investigation into how the money said to have been received as a reward for sponsorship and whether it was paid back or not .

10. Manager’s Liability: Although it is not legally acceptable to rely on the arbitrary statements of the managers of the relevant club saying “we did not know” as long as they are expected to be prudent and investigative, It is a universal legal principle that ignorance of the law cannot be considered an excuse.

11. Incomplete Investigation: Although all the evidence for and against must be evaluated, it is against the procedure and the law to conclude that a prosecution is not necessary as a result on incomplete research and by considering only the favorable evidence.

THE COUNCIL WILL BE MEETED

This decision made as a result of the investigation is far from what needs to be done to run Turkish football on a clean, transparent and fair basis. The Spor Toto Group Presidency will certainly appeal against this decision. We want to continue to believe that this illegality that has emerged as a result of this complaint will be resolved. In addition to the unfair competition on the field, the relevant authorities of our state and all stakeholders in the sports community must accept this unfair competition, which continues to increase, and this unfair competition must be eliminated.

AS FENERBAHÇE, WE WILL FOLLOW THIS MOOD

As Fenerbahçe Sports Club, we announce to the public that we will follow the legal processes and will do our best to ensure that justice is fully and completely served; “We invite the relevant authorities to act responsibly, without losing our trust in the law, to protect the reputation of Turkish sports and clean competition.”