By David Gold
December 13 – Eight suspects, including the Besiktas coach, Tayfur Havutcu (pictured), and the club executive Serdal Adal, have been released by a Turkish court investigating the match fixing scandal which has rocked the country.
Besiktas shares soared by 10.7 per cent at the news, with those of Fenerbahce and Galatasaray also rising after the release of the eight.
A total of 93 players and officials were indicted last week and will face trials in the upcoming months with the Turkish Football Federation pledging to take firm action against those found guilty.
President Abdullah Gul recently vetoed a bill which would have reduced the maximum term for those found guilty from 12 years to three.
Fenerbahce have already been punished for their role in the affair, which has engulfed many of the country’s top clubs, by being thrown out of the Champions League and replaced by Trabzonspor.
19 matches are under investigation from last season, when Fenerbahce mounted a remarkable comeback in the second half of the season to clinch the title on the final day.
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