Youth and Sports Directorate appeals match-fixing verdicts

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet

Sercan Yıldırım (R) is among the players who were acquitted from charges.

Youth and Sports General Directorate (GSGM) appealed the court verdict of acquittals for 43 suspects in the Turkish football match-fixing case.

GSGM filed an appeal to the higher court for the decision of the acquittals of 43 football players, coaches and officials on charges of alleged involvement in the manipulation of Spor Toto Super League matches during the 2010-2011 season.

An Istanbul court found 48 players, coaches and officials guilty of match-fixing in the landmark case in a decision on July 2, 2012, and acquitted 43 of their charges.

The names who were acquitted from charges include Trabzonspor chairman Sadri Şener, Galatasaray striker Sercan Yıldırım, who was at Bursaspor at the time of alleged offense, Boluspor goalkeeper Serdar Kulbilge, then at Gençlerbirliği, and Fenerbahçe midfielder Sezer Öztürk, then at Eskişehirspor.
Some of the most important names in Turkish football, including Fenerbahçe chairman Aziz Yıldırım, former Beşiktaş vice chairman Serdal Adalı, former Beşiktaş coach Tayfur Havutçu, footballers Ümit Karan, İbrahim Akın and İskender Alın are among those who were found guilty.