VAR room review from TFF and denial of digital material allegations

TFF made a statement regarding the inspection carried out in the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) room by the Istanbul Financial Crimes Directorate teams.

TFF denied the claims that "It was determined that some digital materials in the Referee Affairs Department were deleted. Police technical personnel brought back the deleted digital materials."

The full statement from TFF is as follows:

"As part of the investigation carried out by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, which came to the public agenda with the detention of some members of our Central Referee Board, an inspection was carried out yesterday at noon by the Istanbul Financial Crimes Directorate teams in the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) room located at the Turkish Football Federation Hasan Doğan National Teams Camp and Training Facilities.

The review in question was carried out with the knowledge and participation of officials working in the relevant departments of the Turkish Football Federation; The purpose and scope of the investigation are evaluated in line with the investigation carried out by the relevant authorities.

Following the investigations, it was seen that some allegations were reflected to the public on social media platforms and various channels.

In this context, it was determined that some digital materials in the "Referee Affairs Department" in written, visual and digital media were deleted. Statements such as "Police technical personnel brought back deleted digital materials" do not reflect the truth.

In particular, the allegations that the digital materials in the relevant units of the Turkish Football Federation were deleted before the examination and that the deleted materials were returned by the police technical personnel are completely unfounded.

It is of great importance to inform the public correctly and to prevent the spread of unrealistic or unverified information regarding ongoing judicial processes.

As the Turkish Football Federation, we show the necessary sensitivity throughout the process to ensure that the ongoing judicial investigation is carried out in a healthy manner and does not affect the work of the relevant authorities in any way. Our Federation provides the necessary cooperation within the framework of the relevant legislation in the transactions carried out by the competent judicial and law enforcement authorities.

However, it is unacceptable to convey untrue information to the public through an ongoing investigation and to share this information in a way that puts the Turkish Football Federation, its relevant boards or employees under suspicion.

For this reason, we would like to inform the public that all our legal rights will be exercised regarding untrue, false publications and shares about our institution and relevant units, especially the above-mentioned unfounded, misleading statements to the public, and that we will file a criminal complaint against the relevant persons and media to the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

"We kindly request you not to rely on allegations whose source and accuracy have not been confirmed, other than the official information and statements to be shared by the competent authorities within the scope of the ongoing judicial process."