CAS dismisses Fenerbahce appeal
Reuters - Friday 09 September 2011, 16:05
ISTANBUL - The Court of Arbitration for
Sport (CAS) has dismissed Turkish champions Fenerbahce's appeal
against their exclusion from the Champions League in connection
with a match-fixing investigation, CAS said on Friday.
The ruling means that last season's Turkish League
runners-up Trabzonspor, who were re-instated as Fenerbahace's
replacements after earlier losing in the third qualifying round
to Benfica, will remain in the competition. Their first match is
against 2010 European champions Inter Milan on Wednesday.
More than 30 players and officials have been jailed pending
trial, including Fenerbahce chairman Aziz Yildirim, over alleged
manipulation in 19 matches.
"The Court of Arbitration for Sport has dismissed an urgent
request for provisional measures filed by Fenerbahce SK
following a decision of the Turkish Football Federation to
withdraw the club from the UEFA Champions League," CAS said.
The statement on its website said Fenerbahce had requested
to be allowed to participate in the Champions League group stage
which starts next week.
The Turkish football federation (TFF) has said it would not
take any decisions regarding individuals or clubs involved in
alleged match-fixing until a Turkish court accepts the
indictment and ends a ban on the disclosure of evidence. That
could take several months.
However under pressure from UEFA, the TFF then excluded
Fenerbahce from the Champions League, allowing Trabzonspor to
take their place.
The TFF has postponed the start of the season by a month
until this weekend.