TRABZONSPOR WILL REPLACE Fenerbahce in tomorrow’s Champions League group stage draw after the Turkish champions were forced to withdraw due to an ongoing match-fixing investigation.
European football chiefs confirmed the decision tonight, hours after the Turkish Football Federation announced they had barred Fenerbahce from playing in the Champions League.
“The UEFA emergency panel decided to replace Fenerbahce SK with Trabzonspor AS, runners-up in the 2010/11 Turkish league, in tomorrow’s draw for the UEFA Champions League group stage,” a UEFA statement said.
The decision means that Trabzonspor’s scheduled Europa League qualifier against Athletic Bilbao tomorrow has been cancelled, with the Spanish club earning a bye.
“The panel considered that the Turkish Football Federation took the right decision to protect the game, fully in line with our zero-tolerance policy against match-fixing,” said UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino.
“The Turkish Football Federation has shown with this decision that it takes its full responsibility in the fight against corruption.”
