The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) announced that an inspection was conducted in the VAR room as part of the “Referees file” investigation led by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. The inspection at the Hasan Doğan National Teams Camp and Training Facilities was carried out yesterday afternoon by teams from the Istanbul Financial Crimes Branch Directorate, with the knowledge and participation of TFF officials. The federation stated that reports and posts claiming that digital materials in the Referee Affairs Department had previously been deleted and that police technical staff had recovered them were entirely unfounded. TFF said it was cooperating with the relevant authorities within the framework of the law to ensure that the judicial process was conducted properly. The statement emphasized that false reports that could cast suspicion on the institution, its boards or its employees through the investigation could not be accepted. The federation announced that it would file a criminal complaint with the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office against those responsible and exercise its legal rights. TFF also urged the public to rely only on official information shared by the competent authorities.
Why it matters
This development highlights the need for information circulating about the investigation to be verified against official findings. TFF’s denial of the allegation that digital materials were deleted shows that the narrative in the public sphere regarding the technical aspect of the case has not yet been accepted by the federation. The federation’s preparations to file criminal complaints and seek legal remedies against false reports indicate that the dispute is advancing on grounds that could produce not only sporting but also judicial consequences. However, it has not been explained what findings the inspection revealed regarding the substance of the investigation or how these findings will be linked to the allegations in the case file. Therefore, at this stage, statements from the competent authorities will be decisive for reliable information.