The Turkish soccer federation has cleared all 16 Turkish teams of involvement in an alleged game-fixing scandal, but it also banned two players for several years and imposed disciplinary measureson eight players or club officials.
“There is no reason for punishment since the elements of the alleged disciplinary violation have not materialized,” said the federation in astatement that explained its decision about the clubs, including Fenerbahce, which was barred from this season’s Champions League as a result of the investigation.
The federation saidan independent soccer ethics committee looking into the game-fixing allegations concluded there was no evidence that alleged attempts to fix games had altered the course of the matches.
The federation’s decision could affect the course of the trial of 93 officials, players and coaches accused of helping fix matches last season. The federation banned strikerIbrahim Akin of Istanbul Buyuksehir Belediyesi for three years for allegedly fixing the result of a game when his team lost to Fenerbahce 2-0 on May 1, 2011. It also bannedSerdar Kulbilge of Genclerbirligi for two years for allegedly attempting to fix the result of a game that Fenerbahce won 4-2.