Trabzonspor president and a former Turkish federation official questioned as part of match-fixing inquiry
Turkish police detained 22 more people for questioning in an inquiry into alleged match-fixing on Monday, including the president of top club Trabzonspor.
Sadri Sener was detained a day after a court charged and held the president of rivals Fenerbahce, Aziz Yildirim, pending trial. Fenerbahce narrowly beat Trabzonspor to the league title.
Former Turkish Football Federation president Mahmut Ozgener was invited by police to testify in the inquiry, the state-run Anatolia news agency said.
The federation must decide on any action against the clubs by Friday, the deadline for entry to Uefa competitions.
Others detained include a former federation official, former club officials and a former goalkeeper at the club Ankaragucu ? Serdar Kulbilge. The raids came as the federation considers what, if any, measures it will take against Fenerbahce. The decision must come by Friday; the deadline for notifying Uefa which teams will play in European competitions. Potential sanctions include stripping the club of its title and relegating it to the second division.
The Istanbul club said in a statement: "We do not believe the accusations that have been made against the president and directors."
Uefa rules require that Champions League entrants "must not have been directly and/or indirectly involved, since 2007, in any activity aimed at arranging or influencing the outcome of a match".
If Fenerbahce is barred from the competition then its place in the 32-team group stage could go to the runner-up team.
However, with Trabzonspor also under suspicion, Turkish Football Federation and Uefa officials have a difficult task deciding which clubs should take Turkey's two allocated places in the world's most lucrative and prestigious club competition.
Trabzonspor is currently scheduled to take part in Friday's draw for the Champions League's third qualifying round.
Turkish federation officials were scheduled to meet club presidents about the issue on Monday before a board meeting.
Yildirim has been jailed pending trial along with 25 other suspects, including two other Fenerbahce executives, who are accused of manipulating the outcome of games last season. Turkey is the latest country to be affected by match-fixing and betting scandals around the globe, from South Korea to Zimbabwe.
In Turkey investigators obtained evidence of cheating and bribery involving 19 first- and second-division games, the police said.
Fenerbahce won 16 of 17 league matches in the latter part of the season to come from a distant third place and beat Trabzonspor to a record 18th title on goal difference.
Fenerbahce risks losing its league title in the same manner as Italian club Juventus, which was stripped of its 2005 and 2006 Serie A championships over a similar scandal.
Shares in Fenerbahce have dropped by more than 35% on the stock market since the news of the scandal surfaced a week ago, while Trabzonspor shares have climbed by 11% amid hopes it might be given the league title.
Shares in two other top Istanbul clubs, Besiktas and Galatasaray, also dropped as the scandal struck the Turkish football business.
The government has promised to be tough on match-fixing, introducing legislation three months ago to confront hooliganism and cheating in football, which included a maximum 12-year prison sentence for fixing games.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged Fenerbahce fans, who clashed with police on Sunday, to behave and to respect court decisions.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jul/11/turkish-match-fixing-probes-arrest
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