uefaawareness-blog-blog

[uefaawareness-blog-blog]

UEFA opens disciplinary proceedings against PSG for racism...

UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against Paris Saint-Germain for alleged offences concerning "racism, other discriminatory conduct and propaganda" (Article 14 of the 2013 UEFA Disciplinary Regulations) at their UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg against Chelsea FC played on 4 April in Paris.  The case will be dealt with by the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body on 17 July 2014.

[uefaawareness-blog-blog]

UEFA picks on Turkey once again...

UEFA has today opened disciplinary proceedings against Turkish clubs Eskişehirspor and Sivasspor. The UEFA Appeals Body will review each of these cases before communicating its decisions.

Proceedings have been opened against Eskişehirspor and Sivasspor on the basis of Articles 2.07.g), 2.08 and 2.09 of the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League Regulations, regarding the admission criteria for participation in UEFA competitions.

According to Article 2.07.g) of the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League Regulations, to be eligible to participate in a competition a club must "not have been directly and/or indirectly involved, since the entry into force of Article 50(3) of the UEFA Statutes, i.e. 27 April 2007, in any activity aimed at arranging or influencing the outcome of a match at national or international level and must confirm this to the UEFA administration in writing".

Both cases will be heard by UEFA's Appeals Body on Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 June at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.

UEFA applies a "zero-tolerance" principle as regards the participation of clubs in UEFA competitions which have been involved in match-fixing activities. All hearings will be closed to the media and no access to the UEFA premises will be granted during the proceedings.

[uefaawareness-blog-blog]

Fenerbahce boss links soccer match-fixing case to Turkey corruption probe

Fenerbahce chairman Aziz Yildirim said on Monday his latest 38-month prison sentence over a match-fixing scandal was politically motivated, linking it to a corruption scandal shaking the Turkish government.

"As I said from the very beginning, the court case regarding match fixing in Turkey is a political case, and the ruling of this case has also been made politically," Yildirim told Reuters in an interview conducted in France.

"I do not respect or recognise this ruling," he said, adding he would return to Turkey on Tuesday.

Yildirim in 2012 appealed against a six-year, three-month prison sentence after he was found guilty of match-fixing in Turkey's top league and forming an unarmed crime gang for this purpose. He served one year in prison pending trial.

But on Friday, a top court upheld the sentence much to the annoyance of Yildirim.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, whose government is battling a wide-ranging corruption investigation, also criticised the court's ruling, which will prevent Yildirim from working for Fenerbahce.

Erdogan, who has cast the corruption scandal swirling around his government as a smear campaign by a "parallel state" within the judiciary, defended Yildirim, saying he was the victim of a similar plot.

"The parallel state took a very finely calculated step here as well," Erdogan told a press conference on Monday.

Erdogan's supporters say the followers of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whose "cemaat" network is influential within the police and judiciary, are behind the corruption probe.

"The prime minister mentions a parallel state. It's that state, the 'cemaat,' who is behind the operation against us," Yildirim said.

The governing body of European soccer, UEFA, has banned Fenerbahce and Turkish rival Besiktas from European competitions for match-fixing. The Court of Arbitraion for Sport has upheld the ban.

Scores of individuals, including agents, former players and club managers were arrested in two waves of the probe, with Yildirim being the highest-profile figure.

Turkish sport has had to deal with several blows over the past few years, including doping scandals, match-fixing cases and losing the 2020 Olympics bid to Tokyo.

(Reporting by Marina Depetris, writing by Ece Toksabay; editing by G Crosse)

[uefaawareness-blog-blog]

WSJ: Turkish Soccer Club Chief Sees Plot Behind His Conviction

The head of Turkey's leading soccer club characterized a court's decision to jail him for match fixing as part of a wider political battle.

CANNES, France—The head of Turkey's leading soccer club characterized a court's decision to jail him for match fixing as part of a wider political battle playing out between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and a popular U.S.-based cleric.

Aziz Yildirim, the chairman of the Istanbul-based club, Fenerbahce, 

said while he was on vacation here that a Turkish appeals court's Friday decision to uphold his sentence was part of this power struggle. Still, Mr. Yildirim said he would return Tuesday to Turkey to face more than two years in prison.

"I don't respect the decision of this judiciary, therefore my conscience is clear and I'm going home to serve jail time," said Mr. Yildirim, who has head Fenerbahce since 1998 and has won five Turkish league titles. "The match-fixing case was a political trial with a political verdict."

Mr. Yildirim's allegations echo Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan contention that a "parallel state" within the government answers to Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish imam in self-imposed exile in the U.S. Mr. Erdogan and his supporters say the cleric, a former ally, convinced his followers in the judiciary to bring corruption charges against the premier's allies in December.

Mr. Yildirim cited Mr. Erdogan's allegation that the "Gulen congregation" was orchestrating politically motivated trials, suggesting that the imam's followers were behind his conviction.

Mr. Erdogan on Monday criticized the appeals court decision against Mr. Yildirim as a political move ahead of planned local elections on March 30.

A spokesman for Mr. Gulen in Istanbul couldn't be reached for comment. A Gulen ally, Huseyin Gulerce, who sometimes speaks for the cleric, declined to comment.

To counter what Mr. Erdogan says is a political witch hunt against his allies, he has removed prosecutors and more than 2,000 police officers from their posts in the past month. He also moved to join the Justice Ministry with the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors, which oversees the judiciary and is in charge of appointments. Critics said the move would erode the rule of law.

"Turkey's criminal justice system is riddled with problems... compounded by the fact that the judiciary has traditionally adopted a highly politicized approach," said Emma Sinclair Webb, senior Turkey researcher at Human Rights Watch. "The last thing needed is to adopt an iron-fist policy-making the judiciary little more than a department in the prime minister's office."

The issue is poised to dominate Mr. Erdogan's agenda in Brussels, where he was scheduled to arrive Monday night for the first time in five years for talks with European Union. The 28-nation bloc, which Ankara seeks to join, has repeatedly expressed "growing concern" over the independence and impartiality of the judiciary over the past month.

"Our visit will provide the opportunity to explain to our counterparts what Turkey is living through in the most correct and objective manner. Hopefully these treacherous networks' games will be undone as a result," Mr. Erdogan said in Ankara before his departure.

Fenerbahce fans were among vocal critics of Mr. Erdogan during nationwide June protests and chanted "thief premier" at a match after the corruption investigation was unveiled. With millions of supporters throughout the country, Fenerbahce often dominates headlines in Turkey.

"I can't control the stands, we have people from every school of thought in Fenerbahce and as they voice their opinions I can't embargo them—sometimes they call for my resignation, too," said Mr. Yildirim, saying that he tried to keep the club out of politics.

The chairman was acquitted of wrongdoing by the Turkish Football Federation, but a court found him guilty. The European soccer federation UEFA also banned Fenerbahce for two years based on its review of the charges.

By EMRE PEKER

[uefaawareness-blog-blog]

Reports of external contact with UEFA Appeals Body ahead of AB's critical decision to ban Fenerbahce on unsubstantiated evidence

Worrying evidence and reports surfaced ahead of UEFA Appeals Body decisions on Turkish clubs Fenerbahce and Besiktas... 

1. Turkish media reported on June 15, 2013 - days ahead of the UEFA Control and Disciplinary hearings that were held for Fenerbahce and Besiktas - that the UEFA Appeals Body member from Portugal, Antonio Mortagua, said to Portugal's Publico, "I know the the board really well. I do not believe that the teams mentioned with regard to the June 21 hearings will have a chance to compete in Europe next season. The Appeals Body will decide as soon as possible once the files get to the board. All the decisions will have been made prior to the CL draw. My own personal opinion; a one-year ban will be only the initial punishment, and the UEFA will reserve the right to further UEFA action."

2. Reports out of the Italian consulate in Turkey that UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino was in frequent contact with the Italian member of the UEFA Appeals Body, Mario Gallavotti.

3. Trabzonspor activists who were proven to have contacted the UEFA disciplinary inspector(s) and members of the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body announced on June 27, 2013 that they "reached the Swedish AB member Bjorn Ahlberg and requested him to apply the UEFA regulations."

3. Evidence that Trabzonspor activists have contacted Appeals Body members via e-mail, fax and more importantly via courier as "private and confidential" to avert screening:

On June 27... Notifying the board about the questionable Special Authority court decision on individuals and asking for the board to impose punishment before awaiting the decision of the Turkish Supreme Court of Appeals, which will review the verdicts handed out by the now-abolished Special Authority courts...

Additionally, they wrote to the disciplinary inspector to add evidence to the file - which he did, notifying the club as late as the evening before the AB hearing...

4. Then there is always the Turkish member of the Appeals Body, Levent Bıcakci, who is a member of Fenerbahce's fiercest rival, Galatasaray, the president of which coincidentally stated that Fenerbahce would be punished in the waning days of May.

The UEFA has never bothered to answer any questions directed at them in reference to the troublesome issue in hand.

And decided to deliver the verdict as requested by back-door lobbies.

Who is calling the shots?

[uefaawareness-blog-blog]

Scandal... Review of UEFA's Besiktas ban exposes punishment based on assumptions

Assumptions that have been long contested in Turkey in the notorious politically-infected match-fixing case going on since July 2011 now seem to have infiltrated the UEFA. UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body appears to have based its decision on police wiretaps, the validity of which are being contested in court, and the now-abolished Special Authority Court judgment, which is being appealed in the Turkish Supreme Court of Appeals.

The highly politicized Special Authority Courts were terminated by the Turkish Parliament on July 2, 2012 after having been proven to use manufactured evidence. Only the ongoing cases were, for practical reasons, allowed to be completed with the ultimate intent for the cases to be decided in the Supreme Court of Appeals later. The police, Special Authority prosecutors and Special Authority judges were noted to be working together to incriminate defendants who were considered opponents of the government, or at least standing in the way of government projects or plans.

A review of the UEFA CDB exposes a disturbing trend in the UEFA that lacks checks and balances. Having recently been given tremendous (and if not checked, abusable) powers over European football, UEFA's CDB does not at all question the assumptions that have been imposed by the court decision and takes its conclusions as fact, disregarding the prevailing consensus that those are exactly the type of improprieties that has rendered the Turkish Special Authority Courts inadmissible.

Further glance into CDB's decision (page 6) shows that UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino is the person who brought the disciplinary inspector's the disciplinary body on June 7, 2013. The fact that Gianni Infantino has been notably involved in this particular case from the start again brings up questions which he has always avoided answering.

The Italian and three former TFF executives strangely appeared to handle the Turkish match-fixing case together until the TFF administration resigned at the end of January 31, 2012 while the UEFA General Secretary appeared to support the TFF actions/attempts via sporadic statements that often conflicted those officially made by the UEFA. Moreover, the UEFA general secretary has reportedly been tied to business circles who have won huge Turkish government contracts in partnership with Galatasaray club chairman, Unal Aysal. Galatasaray is the biggest rival of both Besiktas and Fenerbahce.

We do not yet know who took the Turkish match-fixing file from the experienced UEFA Disciplinary Inspector David Casserly and decided to give it to the Spanish rookie upon his arrival at the UEFA. Nonetheless, it is apparent that the Disciplinary Inspector, 28-year old Miguel Lietard Fernandez-Palacios, has not investigated the case well. Even the translation of the Turkish "16. Ağır Ceza Mahkemesi" has been done inaccurately as "16th High Criminal Court" which can be misleading as the court is not a "high" court.

If the new inspector had looked into the accusations by the police records that lead to the Special Authority Court verdict, he could have easily concluded that the two players named, Ibrahim Akin and Iskender Alin, are both represented by the unlicensed players' agent Yusuf Turanli, without whose involvement it might not have been possible to incriminate the players in question. Turanli coincidentally shows up in several other phone conversations recorded, obviously in an attempt to set individuals up for easier incrimination.

In addition, a careful review of police wiretaps would have shown that Turanli also unsuccessfully attempted to contact Fenerbahce chairman Aziz Yildirim, the other Turkish club currently in trouble with the UEFA as a result of the file by the same inspector, Palacios - another coincidence - and that he was a figure close to the darkest people in the world of Turkish football, who appeared to collaborate with the Special Authority prosecutors, Zekeriya Oz and Mehmet Berk. 

Moreover, a glance at the video of the Turkish Cup final versus Istanbul Buyuksehir Belediyespor clearly showed that both players performed well, with Alin creating the penalty opportunity (4:20) and a goal that was recalled (2:45) and Akin scoring the penalty shot (5:02) and initiating the attack (5:28) that lead to his side's second goal. Both players were taken out by their coach in the waning minutes of regulation and first half of the overtime, respectively.

Combining what can be seen with one's own eyes, the UEFA decision and all the facts mentioned above that are relevant to the case, but are stubbornly being overlooked by the UEFA inspectors and disciplinary bodies, one cannot help but reach the conclusion that something unusual is taking place at the European football authority based on unsubstantiated evidence that has been propagated by certain Turkish pro-government forces and the Turkish government-controlled media.

The question is "will anyone investigate it?" Or will scapegoating in collusion with political forces be allowed?

[uefaawareness-blog-blog]

Is there struggle for control of Fenerbahce, Turkish football’s most prized political asset? Is UEFA part of the struggle?

Militant, highly politicised football fans who played key roles in the toppling of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, opposition to post-Mubarak military rule and last month’s mass protests against Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan have been – as organisations –  conspicuously absent from the dramatic scenes in Cairo with the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi and ongoing smaller scale protests in Istanbul.

While endorsing participation of their members in ongoing protests in both countries, violence-prone, militant football fans known as ultras in Egypt and Turkey have retreated to their traditional public stance that they are not political organizations but do not stop their followers from engaging politically.

It is a position designed to minimize their vulnerability as groups and shield them from being politically buttonholed.

Egyptian ultras, one of the country’s largest civic groups, adopted that position on the eve of 18 days of mass protests in 2011 on Cairo’s Tahrir Square that forced Mubarak to resign after 30 years in office.

At the same time, leaders privately encouraged their members to play the key role they did in the president’s overthrow.

The past week’s events in Egypt form a dilemma for the ultras whose members populate the full spectrum of politics in the country. The ultras have a deep-seated distrust of the military and the security forces who have re-emerged in full strength as a result of the anti-Morsi protests.

By the same token, many ultras oppose Morsi because of his perceived attempt to undermine the goals of Egypt’s popular revolt and his failure to reform the security sector.

United stand

Like in Egypt, rival fan groups united in Turkey last month to protect protesters and add their voice to the opposition against Mr. Erdogan. But in contrast to the Egyptians, they publicly declared their united stand as organizations under the banner ‘Istanbul United.’

Nevertheless, the tactical retreat and renewed seemingly exclusive organisational focus on football of fan groups in Egypt and Turkey follows incidents in both countries ostensibly designed to intimidate the fans and curb their activism.

More than 70 militant supporters of Cairo giants Al Ahly SC were killed in February last year in a politically loaded football brawl in the Suez Canal city  of Port Said that many believe was an effort that got out of hand to punish the ultras for their opposition to and vicious clashes with the police.

The ultras have since then staged Port Said-related protests and stormed stadiums because of a ban on spectators attending matches.

The Egyptian Football Association this week cancelled the football season because of the post-Morsi political volatility. It had earlier suspended the league because of security concerns.

Much like the Egyptian ultras, spokesmen for Carsi, the powerful, popular militant football support group of Istanbul’s Besiktas JK, say they are lying low since 20 of its members were charged with being part of an illegal organization in the wake of last month’s Gezi Park protests.

As a result, Carsi denies any relationship to nightly Hyde Park style gatherings in the Istanbul neighborhood of Besiktas’s Abbasaga Park, one of multiple such public forums being held across the city.

Nonetheless, Carsi members dressed in their club’s black and white often moderate the Abbasaga discussions and performances organized to discuss the future of the protest movement, exchange news and listen to music.

Protesters

The charges against Carsi reflect Erdogan’s attempts to criminalize the fans and the protesters in a bid to cater to a traditionalist and conservative base and distinguish himself from the more modernist façade of his Islamist rival, Fethullah Gulen, a powerful, self-exiled, 76-year old imam with a strong popular and media base and influence in state institutions like the police and the judiciary.

Gulen shared Erdogan’s criticism of the protesters and blaming of international media but, in contrast to the prime minister, quickly backed away from denouncing them as vandals and foreign agents.

Instead he urged his followers not to underestimate the grievance underlying the protests and to accept that his movement as well as the government had not done enough to resolve social problems.

At the same time, he sought to drive a wedge between the protesters by praising the original peaceful environmentalists demonstrating against the cutting down of trees in Taksim’s Gezi Park as opposed to violent protesters, a reference to the football fans.

Carsi’s decision to bide its time did not stop small groups of fans of rival clubs from joining a demonstration in late June by some 20,000 fans of Fenerbahce who were protesting against the allegedly politically motivated allegations of match fixing.

The protest demanded the resignation of Erdogan and denounced Galatasary for its alleged involvement in one characteristic of the match-fixing scandal: a struggle for control of Fenerbahce, Turkish football’s most prized political asset, between Erdogan and Gulen.

The protest came days after European football body UEFA banned Fenerbahce alongside rivals Besiktas from competing in European championships as a result of match-fixing allegations. Both clubs are appealing the decision.

Urban plans

In contrast to a protest 24 hours earlier on Istanbul’s Taksim Square against Erdogan’s haughtiness, grandiose urban plans for Istanbul and perceived attempts to Islamise Turkish society which confronted a large police force at the ready, security forces were nowhere to be seen during the Fenerbahce march down Bagdat Caddesi, the high-end shopping throughway on Istanbul’s Asian side.

A day earlier police armed with tear and pepper gas and backed up by a water cannon occupied Taksim and surrounded protesters seeking to enter the square.

Less visible was a second contrast between the two Istanbul protests: while Fenerbahce fans protested under their group and club’s banners, Carsi as a group has refused in recent weeks to participate in regular demonstrations on Taksim square.

“The Gezi Park demonstrations have shown that rival football fans can work together. The demonstrations have put Erdogan on notice. But that’s not all. They also send a message to Gulen,” said one football fan.

# # #

JAMES M DORSEY is a Senior Fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, co-director of the Institute of Fan Culture of the University of Würzburg, and the author of the blog, The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer

[uefaawareness-blog-blog]

New UEFA tactics? Last minute Palacios trap to Fenerbahce in UEFA Appeals Body hearings

BY ERTUGRUL OZKOK, Hurriyet

UEFA disciplinary inspector presented last-minute police wiretaps as new evidence to the Appeals Body.

The Fenerbahce club was notified of the addition of police wiretaps to the file Tuesday evening. The club's lawyers worked on the defense against the additions on the airplane.

In the hearing, I was invited to the room when the topic came to the Sivasspor match. The board members asked me no questions. I relayed to them the articles I wrote following the game, the fact that it was not money that was brought in the bag in question, but that it was tickets.

Last week, Fenerbahce chairman Aziz Yıldırım phoned me:

"Ertugrul Bey, would you testify as a witness for our defense in the Appeals Body hearing?"

I immediately said "yes" to Aziz Bey's request.

I had been with the Fenerbahce executives before and after the Sivasspor match, and had written about everything I witnesses that day. I was going to pass them onto the UEFA Appeals Body.

SURPRISE ON THE AIRPLANE

When I arrived at the Sabiha Gokcen airport, a Gulfstream g450 private plane was awaiting us. The 12-14 seat airplane was rented from Zorlu Holding.

Fenerbahce VP Ilhan Eksioglu, Financial Affairs Coordinator Tamer Yelkovan, football players Mehmet Yildiz (Sivasspor that season), Orhan Sam (Genclerbirligi that season), Korcan Celikay (Sivasspor goalie), the attorneys and I got on the plane. The players were going to sit in the back while the front section was reserved for the club executives and attorneys.

It was going to be about a 3-hour journey, and a surprise was waiting for me.

LESS THAN 24 HOURS FOR FENERBAHCE TO PREPARE DEFENSE

UEFA Disciplinary Inspector Miguel Lietard Fernandez-Palacios has presented new documents to the Appeals Body.

And these documents were completely made up of police wiretaps. What was more interesting was the last-minute delivery of the new report to the Fenerbahce club at 18:00 on Tuesday evening.

In other words, Fenerbahce had less than 24 hours to prepare a defense to the new report. The lawyers and chairman Yildirim began working on the new report on the airplane.

I TESTIFIED AND LEFT THE ROOM

The accounts of Sivasspor match was the last match the board was to hear.

And my testimony was going to take place at this point. They finally read out my name.

I entered the room. Inspector Palacios was on one side of the table, and the attorneys on the other side. 

I explained to the board what I wrote in the Hurriyet newspaper about the Sivas match at that time.

That tickets were brought in the bag and not money (as the police records claim) etc etc.

They thanked me. Neither the board members nor the inspector asked me any question.

I testified and left the room.

[uefaawareness-blog-blog]

Going into UEFA Appeals Body hearing, Turkey's Fenerbahce gets support of all Superlig clubs but three

Turkish side Fenerbahce, banned from European competition by the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body along with rivals Besiktas, have started presenting their case to the UEFA Appeals Body in the hopes of overturning last month's controversial CDB decision.

The Istanbul powerhouse were reported to have received support messages at the chairmen level from 15 Turkish Superlig sides, including those that faced relegation at the end of the 2010-11 season and is expected to present them to the Appeals Body.

Coincidentally, rivals Galatasaray (did not qualify for European competition at the time) and Trabzonspor (replaced Fenerbahce in CL play as a result of TFF decision supported by apparent UEFA involvement) seemed to be the only clubs not interested in supporting the 2010-11 title holders.

However, 2009-10 champions Bursaspor, which then snatched the title from Fenerbahce in the last match of the season when the Istanbul side drew 1-1 versus Trabzonspor at home, have joined the two clubs, publishing a statement on their website denying they are one of the 15 remaining clubs to express support for their Turkish counterparts.

Bursapor was the declared preference of Sadri Sener and Adnan Polat, then-Trabzonspor and then-Galatasaray chairmen respectively, and Faruk Celik, the State Minister at the time, who also had accused the league of not being clean until Bursaspor lifted the cup. The accusations  ended with the celebrations.

What renders the three clubs' behavior interesting is not only their vocal participation in the tumultuous period that began July 3, 2011, but also the clubs' openly anti-Fenerbahce stance since halfway through the 2009-10 season and leading up to July 2011. 

Galatasaray and Trabzonspor chairmen and/or executives have been observed to speak on behalf of the UEFA on numerous occasions. There is evidence that the UEFA officials, on the other hand, may have been influenced by back-door lobbying, and the two clubs' chairmen may have been aware of the results of the lobbying.

Moreover, political interference at the highest government ministry level has blemished the match-fixing case just as the handling of the case by the highly politicized Special Authority Courts in addition to the highest Turkish judicial authority in football, the TFF Appeals/Arbitration Board. The highly controversial Special Authority Courts were abolished by the Turkish parliament on July 2, 2012 - which happened to be the same day Fenerbahce chairman was handed the courts' first-ever verdict. The case is now in the Supreme Court of Appeals.

It should be added that surprising everyone, the Special Authority court disregarded much of the evidence against the politically augmented Trabzon side while UEFA President Michel Platini met with the Turkish Minister Erdogan months ahead of both the TFF Disciplinary/Appeals Boards' and the court's decisions.

One cannot help wonder if there has been a case in world football in which so much nontransparent activity may have taken place. It may be the right time for an independent investigation if the discovery of the truth is the goal. Football and politics do not mix well.

[uefaawareness-blog-blog]

FIFA suspends Cameroon "on account of government interference"

Fifa has provisionally suspended Cameroon's football federation (Fecafoot) as the fallout from last month's election continues.

Fifa said its decision was taken "on account of government interference".

The suspension could prevent Cameroon playing a key World Cup qualifier against Libya on 6 September.

It came on the same day the national side went top of their World Cup qualifying group, because Togo fielded an ineligible player against them.

The results of the 19 June Fecafoot polls were cancelled by the body's own appeals committee after technical complaints from the losing candidates.

Iya Mohammed was re-elected as the organisation's president despite still being detained by the Cameroon authorities for alleged financial mismanagement of the state-owned cotton company.

Fifa said in a statement: "The Fifa statutes oblige member associations to manage their affairs independently and with no influence from third parties."

The world governing body says it will help set up an emergency committee to run Fecafoot, whose main aim will be to organise and hold elections by 31 March 2014.

The suspension will be lifted once the emergency panel is allowed into Fecafoot's headquarters to carry out their business unhindered.

More immediately the ban could affect club side Coton Sport, who are due to take part in the group stages of the African Champions League which begin on 20 July.

Meanwhile, Cameroon were promoted to the top of their 2014 World Cup qualifying group after Fifa ruled Togo had used an ineligible player in a match between the two countries last month.

Togo won 2-0 in Lome but Fifa has awarded Cameroon a 3-0 win after Togo admitted Alaixys Romao should have been suspended.

[uefaawareness-blog-blog]

For Turkish politics, no problem two Turkish clubs unjustly punished as long as "political favorite" competes

Governor Mutlu of Istanbul, infamous for the mass tear-gassing of peaceful protesters in the city, joked that it was no problem that two Turkish teams were controversially punished by the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body because Galatasaray was the club that best represented Turkey in European competition.

The statement came during a get-together with students from the city of Batman that took place in Uskudar.

Strangely pointing out that those students who are Fenerbahce fans should be happy because of the ban from European competition for 2+1 years since it left the whole field to Galatasaray who would represent the nation at the top level.

Interestingly enough Fenerbahce was the most successful Turkish club in European play last season, making history with a first-ever appearance in Europa Cup semi-finals. Galatasaray also did well before finally losing to Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Besiktas, the other club banned by the UEFA CDB, also missed last year's European competition due to financial improprieties. 

The unpopular governor's remarks exacerbated worries that Fenerbahce and Besiktas were punished for their fans' impressive showing at the Taksim Gezi park demonstration. Many Galatasaray fans, on the other hand, were present individually at the park with the club's biggest fan group, known to be close to the government, avoiding the mass anti-government protests.

-

[uefaawareness-blog-blog]

UEFA falls prey to lobbies and exceeds authority to punish two clubs vindicated by highest Turkish judicial authority in sports

On a sad day for world football, UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body exceeded authority and handed out unusual punishments for which Turkish politics and rival clubs had been lobbying.

UEFA statement read as follows:

The UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body (CDB) today announced its decisions following the disciplinary proceedings relating to Fenerbahçe SK (Turkey), Beşiktaş JK (Turkey), and FC Steaua Bucureşti (Romania).

The CDB carefully analysed the situation of both Fenerbahçe SK and Beşiktaş JK and has pronounced the following sanctions:

• Beşiktaş JK is not eligible to participate in the 2013/14 UEFA Europa League.

• Fenerbahçe SK is excluded from participating in the next three UEFA club competitions for which it would qualify, including the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League season. The ban for the third season is deferred for a probationary period of five years.

The CDB also carefully analysed the situation of FC Steaua Bucureşti and, taking into account certain mitigating circumstances, the following sanction has been imposed:

• FC Steaua Bucureşti is not eligible to participate in one UEFA club competition for which the club would otherwise qualify. This sanction is deferred for a probationary period of five years.

All clubs have the opportunity to appeal the decisions of the CDB to the UEFA Appeals Body.

Further, in relation to the individuals of the clubs involved in the cases of Fenerbahçe SK and Beşiktaş JK, the CDB decided that certain additional information will be collected in order to consider in further detail the different position of each of the individuals concerned.

[uefaawareness-blog-blog]

Taking the highway from Madrid to Istanbul and back... Miguel Liétard Fernández-Palacios

UEFA's assignment of the inexperienced Miguel Liétard Fernández-Palacios to the Fenerbahce case - along with the file on the other Turkish club, Besiktas - following a favorable report by the experienced David Casserly in June 2012, which asked only to see the final Turkish Football Federation Arbitration decision, brought about concerns of wrongdoing by the UEFA under heavy political and lobby pressure from clubs like Galatasaray and Trabzonspor.

There is evidence of backdoor lobbyists reaching UEFA disciplinary inspectors and the members of the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body. In addition, statements by both Galatasaray and Trabzonspor chairmen - coincidentally the same two clubs to have most benefited from the chaos caused by the long-lasting match-fixing investigation in Turkey - create the impression that both clubs have been relentlessly lobbying for action against their rival Fenerbahce while even receiving assistance from politicians close to the two clubs as well as from a group of collaborators within the Fenerbahce club who want to bring down the current chairman, Aziz Yildirim.

While the possibility of the young Spanish inspector getting the UEFA job via strong UEFA connections further complicates the issue, more careful inquiry into the Spaniard's relationships exposes additional troubling facts.

Fernandez-Palacios appears to be in contact with Diario As sports journalist Dani Hidalgo. On the other hand, Diaro As' Turkey correspondent appears to be Mustafa Ozgur Sancar, who works at the sports radio station, Radyospor, in Istanbul, Turkey. Radyospor is owned by Steven Sadettin Saran, a former Fenerbahce executive and a club member whose membership was terminated by the club's disciplinary board for improper conduct during a Russian player's transfer in 2002-03. 

Saran has been adamantly opposing Aziz Yildirim in recent years, and Radyospor has consistently been used for anti-Yildirim programming since the start of the match-fixing investigation in 2011. Mustafa Ozgur Sancar's radio programs are known to favor  the Yildirim opposition group within the Fenerbahce club as well as giving voice to the club's fiercest rivals, lead by Galatasaray and Trabzonspor.

The chain of relations between the names inevitably produces curiosity about whether there may have been communication between the parties to achieve a certain goal. Saran is the CEO of the Saran Group, a large corporation with the ability to exert influence, which operates in seven sectors and has an international web of partners including in sports media, 

Dani Hidalgo's communication with Radyospor's Sancar, moreover, does more to increase concerns and suspicions than to alleviate them as Hidalgo and Sancar can be witnessed sharing a moment of support for Galatasaray just a few months ago.

The fact that recent statements by Galatasaray chairman Unal Aysal and Trabzonspor's newly elected chairman Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu, claiming that punishment was on the way for Fenerbahce and Aziz Yildirim, took place before the announcement was made by the UEFA with regard to the hearing to be held undoubtedly constitutes reason to be concerned.

With all the evidence available, showing efforts and contact with UEFA disciplinary inspectors and members of the disciplinary body by people close to Trabzonspor and Galatasaray, events taking place within and around the European football authority demand thorough examination. When the political involvement in the matter during the past two years is added to the equation, the case becomes even harder to solve. 

[uefaawareness-blog-blog]

Shedding more light on rookie UEFA disciplinary inspector Miguel Liétard Fernández-Palacios

Miguel Liétard Fernández-Palacios, the young Spanish lawyer is known to be the second disciplinary inspector assigned to Turkish club Fenerbahçe's case involving match-fixing allegations during the Turkish Superleague in 2010-2011. UEFA Chief Legal Counsel Pierre Cornu from France, who claims to have left the UEFA for personal reasons in June 2012,  was known to be somehow involved before David Casserly of Ireland, was assigned as the disciplinary inspector and then mysteriously taken off the case after reporting in June 2012.

This is probably one of the most complicated cases in the UEFA history, a real trouble for UEFA President Michel Platini. The case itself is a brainchild of the disputed Turkish justice system, known to have been severely bent by the government and some religious circles to discard & jail political opponents, where Special Authority Courts have basically destroyed judicial independence and the rule of law. Inadmissible evidence collection techniques, subjective interpretation of evidences collected both by the prosecution and the courts are all part of this ugly game.

Having put this, the UEFA disciplinary bodies, instead of considering all this justice nonsense, now even known & recognized by the European Parliament in the case of jailed journalists, decide to assign the young & inexperienced "Inspector Palacios" to the case and let him base his accusations on the disputed Turkish court decision, where the Turkish Supreme Court has yet to speak the final word.

Intrigued by the "carelessness" of the UEFA, let's now investigate Miguel Liétard Fernández-Palacios and shed some spotlight on him.

Not counting his internships, this young lawyer has started his career in 2010 at a Spanish law firm called Sport Advisers, specialized in sports, apparently where he still works. In January 2013, with a mere 3 years of professional experience he is surprisingly hired by the UEFA as a disciplinary inspector and has been immediately assigned to the Fenerbahçe case.

[Here we should make note that most members of the UEFA disciplinary boards, be it judges or inspectors are also active lawyers in their professional life, just like Fernández-Palacios. No legal system in the world permits a judge or a prosecutor to keep a side job as a lawyer, whether independent or affiliated to law firm. Severe conflicts of interests may arise. This is wrong.]

The law firm that Fernández-Palacios works, is owned by a well known lawyer, Gorka Villar, known to have represented Alberto Contador at CAS.

Digging a little deeper, we find out that Gorka Villar is indeed the son of Angel Maria Villar, Vice-President of the UEFA and the President of its Referees Committee. The proof of that can be seen in this news article regarding their involvement in a legal case against the Spanish Ministery of Education & Science. At this point one can easily question the sudden hiring of Fernández-Palacios, an inexperienced lawyer working at the UEFA VP's son's law firm.

Promoting their very own rookie lawyer to the UEFA disciplinary board, the Villar family might have wanted to pull some strings, when needed.

There is now satisfactory evidence against Fernández-Palacios, as whether he is hired by the UEFA and assigned to this difficult case by merit only.

We know that in professional life, hiring by acquaintance often trumps hiring by merit. But the importance of the Fenerbahçe case, tells us his hiring and his assignment may not be only of acquaintance either.

Is Fernández-Palacios brought to the UEFA for a special reason, is there a hidden agenda behind this? If so, who is really pulling the strings? Villar or someone else? We have to dig deeper.

Surprisingly, Angel Maria Villar, has recently been suggested by the FIFA President Sepp Blatter as a possible rival to Michel Platini for the role of his successor. Blatter, is known to have a public feud with Platini as they have diverging views on 2022 World Cup in Qatar. 

Besides, a few days earlier to that, in March 15, 2013 Blatter even told BBC Radio that “UEFA has never forgiven me for beating Lennart  Johansson to the FIFA Presidency in 1998. UEFA is the only confederation that tries to undermine FIFA”.

It's been long known that Michel Platini & Angel Maria Villar had a mutual agreement to share future FIFA & UEFA presidencies respectively. This silent pact might have been destroyed in May 24, 2013, when the UEFA Congress overwhelmingly voted in favor of Gibraltar to be the 54th. UEFA country, amidst Spain’s, hence Angel Maria Villar’s strong opposition.

The only countries that voted against Gibraltar were Spain and Belarus. As this was a definitive loss for Angel Maria Villar, he might have concluded that his future UEFA Presidency chance was totally off the table. So to guarantee at least the FIFA Presidency, suggested by Blatter, Villar might have taken take side with him against Platini, on all grounds, as it’s almost official that Blatter doesn’t want Platini anywhere near the FIFA Presidency. Coincidentally, this all happens days before UEFA opens disciplinary proceedings against Fenerbahçe SK and Beşiktaş JK.

So, when you follow the breadcrumbs from Fernández-Palacios to Sepp Blatter, you end up discovering the weaving of a not so-well-disguised pattern of ugly relationships.

We should now admit and question the possibility that the recent disciplinary investigation against Fenerbahçe is in fact a possible plot attempt against Michel Platini's future FIFA President candidacy and that Fenerbahçe is used a scapegoat.

by Cem ARGUN

Twitter: @cargun [https://twitter.com/cargun]

[uefaawareness-blog-blog]

Turkish EU minister admits to government and TFF involvement in ploy against Fenerbahce

Turkey's Minister For EU Affairs And Chief Negotiator, Egemen Bagis, admitted on Turkish TV Friday night that former TFF chairman Mehmet Ali Aydinlar knew what he was doing when TFF, with help from some UEFA officials, banned Fenerbahce from Champions League play in August 2011.

The admission also confirmed the involvement of the government that was long suspected of having a finger in the match-fixing investigation.

The investigation was handled by the Special Authority prosecutors and courts, which are considered to have become the long arm of the Turkish government that has imprisoned opposing voices, including elected Member of Parliament, civil leaders, writers and journalists, academicians, students, ethnic groups and military personnel among others. Special Authority Courts were finally abolished by the Parliament early July 2012.

There were other times when words, suggesting government finger in the ongoing events, popped out of Turkish politicians' mouths. In January 2012, Turkish Environment and Urban Planning Minister Erdoğan Bayraktar’s comments that they were “subtly working” to deliver the Turkish league title to Trabzonspor drew the ire of Fenerbahçe club and supporters.

“If Trabzonspor is happy, the whole of Turkey is happy. If Trabzonspor develops, Turkey sends out a strong message,” he said at a ceremony in Trabzon in a reference to the 2011 Super League title won by Fenerbahçe," and added, “Now we are subtly working to get Trabzonspor’s trophy. I hope we will bring the trophy that Trabzonspor deserves. I hope God will show us the day.”

The statements came amid Fenerbahçe fans’ claims that the ongoing match-fixing investigation, as part of which the club’s Chairman Aziz Yıldırım and three other members were jailed pending trial, was a political plot against the team.

The president of the Turkish Parliament (TBMM) at the time (May 2011) had also wished a Trabzonspor championship ahead of the critical match between Fenerbahce and Karabukspor in his own district, Karabuk.

Fenerbahce eked out a 1-0 victory that week and stayed on top of the league table. Two weeks later, Trabzonspor cruised to a 4-0 win in the same city with the home fans joining Trabzon fans in rooting in favor of Trabzonspor. 

However, the Trabzon side - probably along with the government - ended the night in disappointment when Fenerbahce managed a nervous 4-3 road win against the tough Sivasspor and did not give up the title.

Listening to Egemen Bagis' words on Friday night, there was realization that politics was indeed involved and the political game still on... The question is, "Is the UEFA in the picture cooperating with Turkish politics?"

[uefaawareness-blog-blog]

Evidence of external contact with members of UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body and Disciplinary Inspectors

Yesterday's news exposed widespread efforts by a group lead by an attorney from Trabzon, who obviously established contact with one of the UEFA disciplinary inspectors - namely, Karl Dhont of Belgium.

The group, comprised of mostly of Trabzonspor fans but also assisted by many from the Galatasaray community, seemed to have tried to to exert influence on the UEFA to have the institution interfere with the internal affairs of Turkish football strictly on the basis of information provided by the group and the political elements that were involved in the just as highly publicized match-fixing investigation and trial, which was handled by the now-abolished Special Authority Courts.

These controversial courts that have been proven to use manufactured evidence to incriminate the defendants are not waning out as they will be history once the ongoing trials are completed. The trial was executed by a single judge in violation of Turkish law, which states that the same judge cannot serve in both the investigation and prosecution phases of a trial. Moreover, the case is now in the appeal phase at the Supreme Court of Appeals, where a decision has not yet been reached.

The Egemen-led group has been toiling hard to bring the 2010-11 Turkish Superlig title back to Trabzonspor after Fenerbahce edged the Black Sea side by a goal on head-to-head play after rallying from 9 points back and tallying the same exact number of points to end the season. 

Another recent discovery makes the situation more interesting. Erdem Egemen is the son-in-law of Trabzonspor head coach Senol Gunes, who helmed the team from 2009 until February 2013, and can hardly be considered objective.

Egemen and company also appear to have a blog named stopmatchfixing.com which exclusively puts out anti-Fenerbahce material and organizes fans to send out complaints a wide variety of people around Europe - from media, NGO''s, federations and EU to EU, IOC, UEFA and FIFA. Among those contacted are six members of the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body, two of who - Thomas Partl and Jacques Antenen - happened to be on the very board Fenerbahce chairman and attorneys presented their defense on Saturday:

One of the texts used to bombard the UEFA officials:

Moreover, Egemen has reportedly established contact with the Belgian disciplinary inspector – Karl Dhont – at UEFA via Belgian journalist Jan Hauspie brings about the possibility of UEFA’s disciplinary inspector(s) being influenced by a lobbying effort.

A report dated May 15, 2013 indicates that Erdem Egemen hid certain efforts from the Trabzonspor club and states “According to the information we received, Belgian journalist Jan Hauspie was invited alongside Declan Hill to the last match-fixing panel organized by “Trabzon Kursusu” in Trabzon. Erdem Egemen was handling the correspondence with Jan Hauspie and continued to do so. Later in an e-mail Hauspie wrote to Egemen that the Belgian disciplinary inspector was a friend of his, that the inspector wrote the report and passed it on to the UEFA, and that the report supported Trabzonspor’s theses, but he was not sure what decision the UEFA would reach.” 

The news item in question was immediately removed from the website once it made the news in Turkey on Friday. 

To make matters worse, the website, turkfutbolu.com - run by Osman Altunterim, an ardent Galatasaray fan close to Fenerbahce's fiercest rival, Galatasaray club, who has been observed to be in contact with Erdem Egemen and his friends - reported on May 24, 2013 that the match-fixing report had been relayed to the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body by the disciplinary inspector and that the inspector was  requesting the punishment of the individuals and institutions involved.

A few days later, the heads of the two Turkish clubs that benefitted the most from the chaos surrounding Fenerbahce, Galatasaray chairman Unal Aysal and Trabzonspor's newly elected chairman Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu, joined the chorus implying - albeit not-so-subtly- punishment was on the way for Fenerbahce and Aziz Yildirim. .

The findings produce the inevitable question: What is going on? Has the UEFA become lobbyists' tool to affect outcome off the field?

For the record, Fenerbahce and Trabzonspor have met seven times since the 2010-11 season, with the Istanbul club winning five and drawing in two matches, outscoring their opponent 11 to 2 despite facing relentless judicial problems and media lynching. Not to mention qualifying for the semifinals of the Europa Cup for the first time in the club's history during the same stretch.

[uefaawareness-blog-blog]

Same disciplinary inspector for both Besiktas and Fenerbahce of Turkey brings about questions and concerns

Besiktas' defense at the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body hearing on Friday brought to light that same disciplinary inspector, Miguel Lietard Fernandez-Palacios of Spain, was assigned to handle the file on both Turkish clubs, Fenerbahce and Besiktas, showing the complexity of the case was entirely disregarded by the European football authority.

The fact that such a huge file on an ongoing trial in the appeal stage with thousands of pages of wiretaps and inconsistent accusations is expected to be justly covered by an inexperienced disciplinary inspector - instead of the inspector formerly assigned to the file and with better grasp of the data - inevitably produces questions about checks and balances - or lack thereof - involved in the handling of the critical file. 

As tough that weren't enough, the clubs were given only a few hours to present their defense in the face of what must naturally amount to reckless conclusions that contain high risk of injustice.

Given the political nature of the match-fixing trial which resembles other political trials handled by the Turkish Special Authority Courts, careless conduct of the matter by the UEFA would be inexcusable.

Are Besiktas and Fenerbahce being singled out? Is there - political or other - pressure on the UEFA to rush the case and punish one or both of these clubs without due diligence? If so, why?

Shouldn't the UEFA be more careful? Or do ulterior motives exist looking for scapegoats?

Why assign a brand-new disciplinary inspector, Miguel Lietard Fernandez-Palacios, to such a high-risk file and rush the case?

Besiktas club, former executive Serdal Adali and former head coach Tayfur Havutcu are accused of attempting to influence the outcome of the 2010-11 Turkish Cup final against Istanbul's municipality club, Istanbul Buyuksehir Belediyespor, in which the Black Eagles surged ahead for a 2-0 lead before Buyuksehir scored two goals to take the exciting match into a penalty shoot-out. Besiktas lifted the cup after edging their opponent 4-3 in the shoot-out.

It must be added that for those who witnessed the match, the claims sound beyond absurd.

Besiktas, as Fenerbahce, was vindicated by the TFF Arbitration Board decision in June 2012. Turkish Constitution designates the TFF Arbitration Board as the highest judicial authority in sports. The board's decisions are final and cannot be appealed.