Prosecutors demand upholding of Turkish football match fixing verdict

ANKARA

Fenerbahçe Chairman Aziz Yıldırım was sentenced to six years and three months in prison and given a penalty of one million Turkish liras for match-fixing and forming an unarmed crime gang. AA photo

The Supreme Court of Appeals prosecutor’s office July 24 asked for the upholding of the Turkish match-fixing verdict that an Istanbul court gave last year.

A total of 48 football club officials, players and coaches were convicted and sentenced to prison on match-fixing charges as the landmark football corruption case verdict was announced on July 3, 2012. The defendants then filed their appeals into the decision. The prosecutor’s office demanded that the sentences go through.

Fenerbahçe Chairman Aziz Yıldırım was sentenced to six years and three months in prison and given a penalty of one million Turkish liras for match-fixing and forming an unarmed crime gang, while fellow board members İlhan Ekşioğlu, Şekip Mosturoğlu, Tamer Yelkovan and Cemil Turan were also found guilty of manipulating several games during the 2010-2011 Turkish championship.

The court also convicted several officials from Beşiktaş, Eskişehirspor, Sivasspor, Giresunspor and Diyarbakırspor.