TFF boss Aydinlar resigns

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1 February 2012-AFP

Mehmet Ali Aydinlar, president of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), and his two deputies announced their resignation on Tuesday in light of the match-fixing scandal that has embroiled the sport in the country.

Turkish football's dark side

"In a context where non-ethical behaviour from certain people and institutions is considered authorised and where trust does not exist, I don't have the means to resist any more," a statement from Aydinlar posted on the TFF website read.

Aydinlar refused to disclose the reasons for his resignation.

However, the move comes five days after a special meeting of the General Assembly of the TFF, during which no agreement could be reached as to what sanctions should be imposed on clubs involved in match-fixing.

His departure, along with the resignations of vice-presidents Goksel Gumusdag and Lutfi Aribogan, came a day after the federation insisted that the trio would stay in their posts at the behest of several club presidents.

The trial of 93 suspects accused of cheating in 19 first and second division matches last season is scheduled to begin on 14 February in Istanbul.

Among the 23 suspects detained is Fenerbahce president Aziz Yildirim, whose team was excluded by the TFF from this year's UEFA Champions League because of the charges.

The indictment carries a penalty of between 54 and 147 years in prison for Yildirim for several acts of bribery, but a law passed last month reduced those penalties by nearly a half.

Directors from Trabzonspor and Besiktas, who are still involved in the UEFA Europa League, are also part of the investigation.