Besiktas chief accuses Fener of match-fixing

Besiktas president Serdar Bilgili has reopened the row over match-fixing that has tarnished the Super League this season by accusing his Fenerbahce counterpart Aziz Yildirim of colluding with Turkish referee association president Bulent Yavuz prior to Fener's 2-0 win over the Black Eagles on Sunday.

Yildirim, whose side trail leaders Galatasaray by three points, had claimed before his side's victory that Fener's title challenge had been hampered by the high number of refereeing errors that have cost his side this season.

Defeat on Sunday, meanwhile, cost Besiktas the chance of a place in the Champions' League next season and a furious Bilgili hit back at Yildirim on Monday, alleging that the Fener chief spoke with Bulent over the appointment of referee Muhitten Bosat for Sunday's match.

"The people who said that the league is fixed before our important game are the ones who are fixing it," he fumed. "I have proof in my hand that Fenerbahce chairman Yildirim has twice spoken with referee president Bulent Yavuz.

"Besiktas have until now has remained above these affairs and none of us have said anything about what is going on in the league.

"But we now believe that this league is really fixed. When people watch yesterday's game they can see that Besiktas have been hurt badly by the referee. From now on we will speak out and people will have to listen to us."

Yildirim has called a press conference for Tuesday morning when he is expected to respond to Bilgili's accusations.

Both sides had two players sent off in Sunday's clash which Fener won through a brace from Serhat Akin. But Besiktas defender Ali Eren Beserler, who was sent off on 35 minutes, claimed Serhat should not have been on the pitch in the first place.

Ali Eren admitted aiming a kick at the young forward but claimed he had been provoked when Serhat elbowed him in the face.

"If cards were necessary at all, Serhat should have got one as well as me," he protested.

The match-fixing allegations are not the first to shatter confidence in the Super League this season, but they are the first to involve two of Turkey's top sides.

In February the legitimacy of the league was called into question by Milliyet newspaper which alleged that five Class A referees as well as a number of other referees with lower classifications, were involved in a match-fixing ring that had decided in advance the results of three top-flight games involving Goztepe, Gaziantepspor, Yozgatspor, Bursaspor and Genclerbirligi.

Turkish football federation general secretary Aydin Torunoglu and his colleague Yemen Eksioglu were also accused of involvement in the match-fixing scandal. An investigation is still on-going.

In March, Yozgatspor coach Rasim Kara stoked up the match-fixing row by questioning the integrity of the officials in his side's 4-2 defeat by Besiktas.

"It's almost as if league placings have been decided in advance," he fumed. "We need a concept of clean sport. The referees should leave us to play head to head against our opponents. Unfortunately they are not doing that."

Somebody has to stop this stupidity

Every week, one president makes an announcement threatening or at least trying to put the refrees under pressure.

It's not just the presidents of three big clubs, also the soccer branch managers, other club presidents. Everybody is trying to complain louder so that people will think they're innocent

I am not making any distinctions between any president all of them are doing the same thing. :devil:

I think the federation has to do something about it. Just don't let anybody t provocate people,or make announcements to put refrees under pressure. If they let just one person to do that everybody will do the same thing

Anyways IMO all the games should be played at the same time, and the refrees should be picked randomly just one day before

I just hope all this chaos won't cost any lives

Bir ulkede ceza-odul mekanizmasi calismazsa olacagi bu! Turks deserve this! I hate to say this but it is true. We have big freaking mouth but when it comes down to action, nothing happens. As a nation we have many superior charecters but also we are unique in the world that we also have that many ugly charecters. There is no more country like Turkey in the world even close to Turkey in this matter. Everything has to be extreme! There is no mid-point! Sometimes or many times we as a nation like to believe what we want to believe. GS-BJK-FB is a perfect mix of Turkish culture. The good, the bad and the ugly (not in order!!!) Everybody is trying to be a dictator. We gotto smooth off our rough edges dude!
I don't know if any of you watch TV and whoever speaks on TV says "As you know , we never talked about reffrees but this time this ref was so on so..." another club president says "We never like to talk about refs but....." next one goes "in our past we never talked about refs and we don't like to talk about ref but...."
What the hell in the world is this! Everything starts with RESPECT and HONESTY.
DO YOU THINK IS THERE A EVEN LITTLE BIT OF RESPECT AND HONESTY IN TURKEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fener chief challenges Bilgili over match-fix slur

Tuesday 16th April 2002

Fenerbahce chairman Aziz Yildirim has hit back angrily at Besiktas counterpart Serdar Bilgili, who on Monday accused him of attempting to rig Sunday's derby between the sides.

Fener won an ill-tempered match 2-0 during which nine yellow cards were shown and each side had two players sent off.

Bilgili had accused Yildirim of colluding with Turkish referee association president Bulent Yavuz prior to the match and discussing the appointment of referee Muhittin Bosat.

Now Yildirim has admitted talking to Yavuz about Bosat, but denied any wrongdoing. "A friend told me that Besiktas had arranged Bosat's appointment," he said.

"I called Bulent Yavuz and told him of my concerns. He told me not to worry. I asked Yavuz not to harm us and I warned him that if any incident against us or in favour of Besiktas occurred, there would be major trouble all over Turkey."

Yilidrim then challenged Bilgili to produce evidence to back up his allegations that Fener had attempted to put pressure on Yavuz to determine the result.

"I will do everything I can to protect Fenerbahce's rights," Yildirim said. "I stand by everything I have said. I do not speak without evidence. Mr Bilgili talks about our relations with referees.

"If he has evidence, let him produce it. Let him not leave us under a cloud. If he does not produce it, I will have something to say."

Yilidrim also accused the Turkish football federation (TFF) of siding with Besiktas.

"[TFF president] Haluk Ulusoy and Besiktas director Yildirim Demiroren are relatives," he said. "All Besiktas' problems are solved by the TFF. Haluk Ulusoy keeps an eye on Besiktas affairs. The Besiktas administration has no need to ask the federation for anything."

Bulent Yavuz, meanwhile, confirmed that he had been telephoned by Yildirim.

"He asked about how Bosat had been appointed and whether his name had been dictated to us by anybody," Yavuz said. "He said that the necessary evaluation would be carried out after the match.

"I said: 'If you have any concerns, please pass them on to Mr Ulusoy.' Because of my principles, I myself passed this dialogue on to Haluk Ulusoy by telephone.

"I believe Serdar Bilgili was with him at the time. I have not the slightest concern. During the past weeks, a number of club chairmen have called me about such matters."

On Monday, Biligili raged: "I have proof in my hand that Fenerbahce chairman Yildirim twice spoke with referee president Bulent Yavuz. Besiktas have until now has remained above these affairs and none of us have said anything about what is going on in the league.

"But we now believe that this league is fixed. When people watch the game they can see that Besiktas have been hurt badly by the referee. From now on we will speak out and people will have to listen to us."

Defeat on Sunday cost Besiktas the chance of qualifying for the Champions' League next season.