Ex-Fenerbahçe striker Emenike cleared of match-fixing charges

ISTANBUL

After the match-fixing investigation became public on July 3, 2011, Emenike spent a number of nights at the police station, demanding a transfer from the club soon after being released. DHA photo

An Istanbul court today acquitted Nigerian forward Emanuel Emenike of accusations of involvement in match-fixing during his time in Turkey.

The prosecutors sought one to three years of jail time for the Spartak Moscow player, who spent an ill-fated six week period at Fenerbahçe during the 2010-2011 Super League season.

According to the landmark match-fixing case indictment, it was alleged that Fenerbahçe officials had fixed that season’s match against Karabükspor, demanding that Karabükspor not name Emekine in its team and that he be transferred to Fenerbahçe after the match.

After the match-fixing investigation became public on July 3, 2011, Emenike spent a number of nights at the police station, demanding a transfer from the club soon after being released.

Several Fenerbahçe officials, including chairman Aziz Yıldırım, his brother Ali Acar Yıldırım and vice-chairman Şekip Mosturoğlu, were found guilty of rigging when the judge gave his verdict last July. The Fenerbahçe chairman was sentenced to six years and three months in prison, pending appeal.

However, Emenike’s case was separated from the main case because he did not attend the hearings. The Nigerian player made his defense at the Çağlayan Courthouse in late August, when Spartak Moscow was drawn against Fenerbahçe in the Champions League preliminaries.

The Nigerian said he had not received any such offer, and that he did not receive any money from Fenerbahçe before the game in 2011.

Emenike, Karabükspor’s top goal-scorer at the time, was left out of the team’s game against Fenerbahçe, citing injury. Fenerbahçe, in a neck-and-neck race with Trabzonspor for the league title that season, went on to win the game 1-0.

Emenike then said he had reports confirming that he was unfit to face Fener, while the report of Karabükspor’s club doctor stated that he could have played through an injection.

“The doctor who oversaw me at the hospital said there was no way I could play,” Emenike had said in his defense. “Then I contacted the Nigerian national football team coach, and he told me that playing with an injection could threaten my career.”