Turkish clubs back into Euro draws, but still wait on full verdicts

Fenerbahce and Besiktas UEFA

By Andrew Warshaw
July 19 – In a move that will infuriate UEFA who banned them both over match-fixing allegations, Fenerbahce and Besiktas have won the right to have their names placed in Friday’s qualifying draws for the Champions League and Europa League after winning an emergency ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). 

This week, the two Turkish giants failed in their bids to get their respective bans – imposed last month by UEFA – overturned and took their cases to CAS as their last resort.

And the Lausanne-based body backed their case until a full verdict is reached. This means the two-year ban handed down by UEFA’s appeals committee on Fenerbahce is suspended temporarily, clearing them to take part in the next qualifying round of the competition. Besiktas, meanwhile, have been cleared to compete in the Europa League until they hear their fate.

As far as Fenerbahce is concerned, “it is anticipated that hearings will take place in August with a final decision being issued before August 28,” CAS said in a statement.

That date could pose complications for UEFA since it is the eve of the Champions League 32-team group stage draw in Monaco, though Fenerbahce would first need to beat two opponents to get that far. The CAS decision on Besiktas will be made public two days later on August 30, the day of the Europa League group-stage draw.

There is a precedent of sorts, however. In August 2011, the Turkish football federation withdrew Fenerbahce the day before the main draw as a result of their investigations into widespread match-fixing allegations that rocked the Turkish game at the time. Then, league runner-up Trabzonspor took their place in the Champions League group stage even though it had already been eliminated in the qualifying rounds.

Fenerbahce President Aziz Yildirim, jailed as a result of the ongoing scandal before being released on appeal, came out fighting after the CAS ruling, telling the club’s television station: “This struggle will continue until the end and both the whole of Turkey and the world will see that Fenerbahce is in the right.”

Last season, Fenerbahce finished runner-up in the Turkish league to earn a Champions League preliminary round spot. But UEFA, which recently cracked down on match-fixing by announcing it could take retrospective action over previous incidents, expelled the club over match-fixing allegations linked to clinching the domestic title on the final day of the 2010-11 season. Besiktas, for their part, were thrown out for one year over alleged rigging of the 2011 Turkish Cup final which they won on penalties after a 2-2 draw against Buyuksehir Belediyespor.

A year ago, a Turkish court convicted 93 defendants, including Yildirim, club executives and players. Yildirim was sentenced to more than six years in prison but was released after launching an appeal, which is still proceeding.

UEFA said in a statement it “acknowledges the decisions on provisional measures” issued by CAS, “until a final decision is taken on both of these appeals”.

Contact the writer of this story at andrew.warshaw@insideworldfootball,com