Fenerbahçe chair Yıldırım protests innocence in court over match fixing allegations

By David Gold

February 22 – Fenerbahçe chairman Aziz Yıldırım (pictured) has been in court defending himself against allegations of involvement in the match fixing scandal which has thrown football in Turkey into disarray.

Yıldırım is the highest profile defendant among the 93 indictments currently being made in the Turkish courts.

Last week trials began in the Turkish courts, and yesterday (February 21) it was Yıldırım’s turn to defend himself.

“I’ve been Fenerbahçe’s chairman since February 1998, the most honourable duty of my life, which I have fulfilled with absolute honesty,” Yıldırım said.

“This is not a personal trial it is a trial of Fenerbahçe.

“Some circles created a fantasy in order to say ‘stop’ to Fenerbahçe’s ascent.”

Yıldırım is charged with allegedly manipulating the result of matches last season as well as “forming an unarmed criminal organisation” looking to benefit financially from football.

Fenerbahçe last season launched a stirring fightback to win the league title on the last day of the season.

They won 17 of their last 18 games, and the final match, a 4-3 win against Sivasspor, is one of those under investigation.

The club were also thrown out of the Champions League on the eve of the draw for the competition in August due to the ongoing investigation, which has also implicated the likes of Beşiktaş and Trabzonspor, as well as leading to the indictments of a number of players and football officials.

One plus for Yıldırım, however, is that last year the Turkish Parliament passed a change to a law which reduces the maximum term someone found guilty of match fixing can serve in prison from 12 years to three.

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