October 7 – Turkish prosecutors have called for match-fixing charges against Fenerbahce President Aziz Yildirim to be dropped. In a seven-page document submitted to the Istanbul’s High Criminal Court prosecutor Abdullah Mirza Coskun said the charges should be withdrawn on the grounds of insufficient evidence.
Yıldırım has repeatedly claimed that case was politically motivated but the Istanbul club was banned from European club competition for two seasons by UEFA after the original case.
The scandal arose during the 2010/11 season in Turkey’s top flight when Fenerbahce became champions on goal difference from second-placed Trabzonspor, who ended the season on the same points.
Coşkun has not only demanded the acquittal of Yıldırım on charges of “founding a terrorist organization” and “match-fixing”, but also of a number of other suspects. The judge postponed the case until Friday.
In July 2012, a Turkish court convicted 93 defendants, including Yildirim, club executives and players, in connection with the case. Yildirim, regarded as the most powerful man in Turkish football, was sentenced to six years and three months in prison but was freed after about a year behind bars pending a retrial.
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