Turkish clubs cleared in match-fixing scandal

Turkey's football federation has cleared all 16 Turkish teams, including Fenerbahce, of involvement in an alleged match-fixing scandal, but it also has banned two players for up to three years and imposed disciplinary measures on eight players or club officials.

Istanbul: The Turkish football federation has cleared 16 clubs suspected of involvement in a match-fixing scandal but said that it has still taken action against 10 players and officials.

"It was decided that there was no cause to apply sanctions since the elements constituting disciplinary infringement did not materialise," the federation said on its web site late Sunday.

The clubs involved included Fenerbahce, Besiktas, Galatasaray and Trabzonspor.

The federation said late Sunday "there was no reason" to punish any of the clubs, including Fenerbahce which was barred from this season's Champions League as a result of the investigation. 

The federation's disciplinary committee on the other hand banned eight officials from the 16 clubs for one to three years and two players have been sidelined from playing in all competitions.

Fenerbahce official Ilhan Yuksel Eksioglu was banned for three years for trying to influence the result of three matches while two other senior management figures at the Istanbul club were suspended for a year.

Turkey international midfielder Ibrahim Akin, currently at first division Gaziantepspor, and Ankaragucu goalkeeper Serdar Kulbilge were banned from playing for two and three years respectively.

The investigation centres on 22 matches in the 2010-11 season. The punishments all result from matches involving Fenerbahce, who won the league that year with Trabzonspor in second.

The federation's professional football disciplinary board inquiry is separate from an unprecedented criminal case resulting from the same allegations that began in February this year.

Nearly 100 people have been charged with corruption, including Fenerbahce president Aziz Yildirim. They also saw their Turkish league cup trophy awarded to Besiktas.

A total of 93 officials, players and coaches, including the president of reigning champion Fenerbahce, are on trial, accused of helping fix matches last season. The federation's decision could affect the course of the trial, which was relying in part on the federation's guidance.