The Turkish Football Federation decided not to take any disciplinary measures against Fenerbahce or Trabzonspor on Monday in the midst of a growing match-fixing probe, allowing them to compete in the Champions League The federation said it would wait until after prosecutors file any indictments before possibly taking action. Earlier, Turkish police detained 22 people, including Trabzonspor president Sadri Sener, for questioning in the investigation. Sener was detained a day after a court charged and jailed Fenerbahce president Aziz Yildirim, pending a trial. Fenerbahce narrowly beat Trabzonspor for the Turkish league title this year, allowing both teams to advance to European football's top club competition. “Teams will compete in European competitions according to the current final league standings,” federation president Mehmet Aydinlar said. “The results are registered to UEFA this way.” Fenerbahce and Trabzonspor are expected to take part in Friday's draw for the Champions League's third qualifying round. “Disciplinary investigation is going to be initiated after the court accepts the indictment of the prosecution,” Aydinlar said. Potential sanctions include stripping Fenerbahce of its title and relegating the team to the second division. Aydinlar also confirmed that the Turkish Super League will start on Aug. 5 as scheduled previously. 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.” “We are constantly in communication with the UEFA and the FIFA. The league will start on Aug. 5 and will be played as scheduled before,” Aydinlar said.“Fenerbahce and Besiktas will play the Turkish Super Cup final on July 31.” The federation's decision followed a meeting with club presidents, who voiced solidarity with Fenerbahce and Trabzonspor. “We are not accepting extra-judicial execution,” said Ilhan Cavcav, president of Genclerbirligi. Former federation president Mahmut Ozgener was also being questioned in the probe, the state-run Anatolia news agency said. Among the detained were ex-federation official Levent Kizil, former Ankaragucu official Mumtaz Karakaya and Ankaragucu goalkeeper Serdar Kulbilge. Yildirim has been jailed along with 25 other suspects, including two other Fenerbahce executives who are acused of manipulating the outcome of games last season. Turkey is the latest country to be affected by a slew of 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 because of a similar scandal. Shares in Fenerbahce have dropped by more than 35 percent on the stock market since the news of the scandal surfaced a week ago, while Trabzonspor shares have climbed by 11 percent amid hopes it might be given the league title. Shares in two other top Istanbul clubs, Besiktas and Galatasaray, have 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 includes 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.
