Fenerbahçe chair Yıldırım hit with six-year jail sentence in match-fixing scandal

By David Gold

July 2 – Fenerbahçe chairman Aziz Yıldırım has been handed a six-year, three-month jail sentence after he was convicted for his role in the Turkish match-fixing scandal by a court in Çağlayan.

Yıldırım (pictured above) was among 93 players and officials arrested for suspected involvement in the scandal last year, and indictments have been taking place in the Turkish courts.

Players from Beşiktaş, Eskişehirspor, Sivasspor, Gençlerbirliği and Bursaspor were among those being prosecuted.

Fenerbahçe claimed the title in 2011 having won 18 of their last 19 league matches, but were ejected from last year’s Champions League on the eve of the group stage draw as a result of the scandal, and were replaced by Trabzonspor, who were, ironically, also implicated in the scandal.

Head judge Mehmet Ekici announced the ruling today, although Yıldırım has been released from custody, having already served a year of his sentence.

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has already conducted its own investigation, which cleared all 16 teams alleged to be involved, although certain players and officials were banned for attempting to manipulate the results of Turkish league games.

Beşiktaş, Bursaspor and Gaziantepspor have all also been banned from Europe for a season by UEFA for breaching Financial Fair Play rules.

However, Bursaspor successfully appealed their ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and Beşiktaş have pledged to do the same.

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