Fenerbahce and Besiktas cleared for European draws

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ruled that Fenerbahce will feature in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round draw.

The Turkish club had been accused of match-fixing by UEFA and banned from its competitions for two years, but the CAS has confirmed they can now appear in Friday’s draw, with a verdict expected on their future participation on August 28.

Fellow Super Lig side Besiktas, also accused of match-fixing, will now be involved in the UEFA Europa League draw, with their ongoing participation in the competition to be decided two days later.

“Due to agreements reached between the appellants and UEFA, the decisions challenged by Fenerbahce SK and Besiktas JK have been stayed and will not be enforced until the Court of Arbitration for Sport issues its final decision in each matter,” a statement from the CAS read.

“This means that Fenerbahce SK and Besiktas JK will take part in the draws of the first preliminary matches of the UEFA Champions League (Fenerbahce) and of the UEFA Europa League (Besiktas). In the meantime, the arbitration procedures are continuing following an expedited calendar agreed upon by the parties and it is anticipated that hearings will take place in August with a final decision being issued before 28 August 2013 (Fenerbahce) and 30 August 2013 (Besiktas).”

Fenerbahce president Aziz Yildirim told the club’s official website they would “continue the path” towards playing in Europe’s top club competition again.

“This struggle will continue until the end and both the whole of Turkey and the world will see that Fenerbahce is in the right,” he added.