Turkey reviews match-fixing sanctions

The Turkish Football Federation will review an article in its disciplinary code that mandates relegation for clubs found guilty of match-fixing.

A total of eight Turkish teams, including Fenerbahce, Trabzonspor and Besiktas, are currently under investigation over allegations regarding matches last season, but they could escape the drop should Article 58 of the code be reconsidered.

There have been calls from the club unions to punish merely the individuals responsible for the scandal, rather than the clubs they work for, and the TFF will meet in January to discuss possible punishments should the allegations prove to be true.

“In the meeting on December 28, it was decided that possible sanctions on the teams charged with match-fixing are discussed and decided in emergency general convention on January 26,” an official statment was quoted as saying by Hurriyet Daily News.

Meanwhile, Turkish daily Radikal has claimed that the decision to potentially revoke the compulsory relegation stems from the TFF and the clubs accepting that matches were indeed fixed.

The trials for the suspected clubs and individuals begin on February 14.