Fenerbahce Chairman Aziz Yildirim Acquitted of Match-Fixing Charges

Fenerbahce chairman Aziz Yildirim has been acquitted of match-fixing charges in a retrial stemming from a 2011 corruption scandal.

According to the Associated Press (via the Guardian), a court in Turkey handed down the decision after the 62-year-old spent a year in prison from his original trial: 

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Aziz Yildirim was convicted in July 2012 and sentenced to six years and three months in prison for fixing games, trying to influence the outcome of matches and leading a criminal gang. Yildirim, who denied any wrongdoing, spent a year behind bars before being released pending the outcome of the trial and appeal process.

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The AP report noted Turkey "abolished" the court that conducted Yildirim's original trial, "paving the way for a retrial," which resulted in today's decision.

The 2011 scandal began when Yildirim and 25 other Fenerbahce executives stood trial after it was suspected that they were involved in fixing 19 matches. As a result of the case, Fenerbahce was banned from participating in the 2011-12 UEFA Champions League season.

Following Yildirim's original conviction, the club was banned from playing in the Champions League for two years with a third year deferred for a five-year probationary period. Yildirim has been Fenerbahce's president since 1998.

The AP report noted that "hundreds of Fenerbahce fans" were outside the courthouse celebrating the court's decision.

Given the current state of world football—including FIFA President Sepp Blatter's 90-day suspension after Switzerland opened a criminal investigation, per CNN's John Sinnott—any type of scandal involving bribery and match-fixing will always raise some eyebrows and call into question the sanctity of competition.