Europe

Europe

FenerbahÃ§e says wants to play in second division in protest

25 August 2011 22:38 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Turkish champions FenerbahÃ§e has said it is going to convey the clubâ€™s wish to play in Bank Asya 1st League after its appeal against their exclusion from this season’s Champions League over a match-fixing investigation was rejected by the country’s soccer federation on Thursday, APA reports quoting www.todayszaman.com.

The top Ä°stanbul club were replaced by Trabzonspor, the league runners-up on goal difference last season, in Thursday’s group stage draw for Europe’s elite club competition.

Trabzonspor will play in Group B alongside Inter Milan, CSKA Moscow and Lille.

FenerbahÃ§e club official Ali KoÃ§ told reporters on Thursday that both fans, club officials and players want to play in Bank Asya 1st League. â€œWe are going to the Turkish Football Federation to discuss and hold consultations in this,â€ KoÃ§ said.

Before the draw, state-run Anatolian news agency reported FenerbahÃ§e’s appeal had been rejected by the Turkish football federation’s arbitration board.

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) decision to bar FenerbahÃ§e, taken under pressure from European soccer’s governing body UEFA, has added to revenue concerns among clubs since the match-fixing court case emerged, although no decision has been taken to relegate any clubs.

FenerbahÃ§e said its loss of revenue due to the Champions League exclusion would be some 25 million euros ($36 million) and its shares tumbled 18 percent on the Istanbul Stock Exchange on Thursday.

Shares in Black Sea club Trabzon, which said it expected competition income of 20 million euros, surged 21.8 percent.

"Our club’s lawyers applied to the TFF Arbitration Board to suspend and annul the decision to bar it from the UEFA Champions League," FenerbahÃ§e said in a statement.

More than 30 players and officials have been jailed pending trial, including the FenerbahÃ§e chairman Aziz YÄ±ldÄ±rÄ±m and the coach and deputy chairman of BeÅŸiktaÅŸ, in connection with alleged manipulation in 19 matches.

FenerbahÃ§e has said UEFA’s stance on the issue is unlawful and that it could take legal action against both it and the Turkish federation, saying it was "innocent until proven guilty".

"With this decision (to bar the club), the TFF has bowed to the unlawful approach of UEFA," FenerbahÃ§e said on its website.

The club’s deputy chairman Nihat Ã–zdemir said he was resigning, without giving a reason. In comments to a broadcaster he had challenged the federation to relegate FenerbahÃ§e if it believed the club was guilty of match-fixing.

UEFA had written to the federation on Tuesday saying FenerbahÃ§e must withdraw from the Champions League or the TFF should take the decision to bar them or face a disciplinary investigation, the federation said.

"The (UEFA emergency) panel considered that the Turkish Football Federation took the right decision to protect the game, fully in line with our zero-tolerance policy against match-fixing," UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino said on Wednesday evening.

TFF Chairman Mehmet Ali AydÄ±nlar said UEFA warned that Turkey generally faced a punishment of up to eight years if the federation did not act, Turkish media reported