Fenerbahce asks to be relegated

Posted Friday, August 26, 2011 by YAHOO Sport

ANKARA, Turkey (AP)—Turkish champion Fenerbahce asked the Turkish Football Federation on Friday to consider relegating it from the top league because of the country’s match-fixing scandal.

The move comes two days after the federation removed Fenerbahce—which is being investigated in the scandal—from the Champions League despite allowing it this month to continue playing in Turkey’s Super League.

The federation said at the time it could not take action against the team because of the secrecy surrounding the investigation into the scandal allegedly involving 19 league games last season. It deferred any possible punishment against teams implicated in the scandal until after the prosecutor’s indictment is released.

Fenerbahce Vice President Ali Koc said in protest of the Champions League decision that the club is willing to play in the second-tier league and asked the federation to look into the possibility.

“If we are not in the Champions League, why are we in the Super League? And if we’re in the Super League why aren’t we in the Champions League,” coach Aykut Kocaman asked.

On Thursday, the federation’s arbitration committee rejected Fenerbahce’s appeal against being removed from the Champions League and replaced by Super League runner-up, Trabzonspor.

Federation president Mehmet Ali Aydinlar said on Thursday it could not allow Fenerbahce to play in the Champions League, saying Turkish teams risked being barred from European competitions by UEFA, which has vowed a zero-tolerance policy against match-fixing.

More than 30 people, including Fenerbahce President Aziz Yildirim, have been arrested in the probe that forced Turkey to push back the start of the season by more than a month, until Sept. 9.

Turkey’s champion club traditionally earns at least ?20 million ($29 million) from playing in the Champions League, based on UEFA bonuses, match results and a share of Turkish broadcasting deals.