Helvacı denies Aydınlar was unaware of Fener ban details

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

İlhan Helvacı came under heavy criticism from Fenerbahçe, who claims the TFF’s chief legal counselor had a role in the club’s exclusion from the Champions League.

Turkish Football Federation’s (TFF) chief legal counselor İlhan Helvacı denied that former Chairman Mehmet Ali Aydınlar was “unaware” of the details of the process which led to the exclusion of Fenerbahçe from the Champions League.

Helvacı said there was no way Aydınlar was “unaware” the TFF had the final say in the process, adding that the former TFF chief was “exhausted.”

Aydınlar resigned from his post on Jan. 31, citing Court of Arbitration in Sport (CAS) Judge Kısmet Erkiner’s statements as the main reason why he stepped down.

According to Erkiner, it was the TFF who had the final say in the exclusion of Fenerbahçe from the Champions League, in contradiction to the initial statements.

“The TFF could not call UEFA’s bluff,” and there were two letters from the UEFA stating the “request did not constitute a compelling injunction to withdraw the club” from the Champions League, Erkiner said. Aydınlar in his statement said he was “unaware” of the UEFA’s letters and cited the lack of trust between the UEFA and TFF as a main reason of his resignation.

Last year’s Spor Toto Super League champion Fenerbahçe was barred from playing in the Champions League, with runner-up Trabzonspor included in the competition instead. Fenerbahçe then took the case to CAS, seeking financial and moral compensation worth 40 million euros.

Aydınlar then said the European football’s governing body “forced the TFF” to make the decision and eventually “threatened to impose an eight-year ban on Turkish teams” if it did not act immediately.