2011–12 Fenerbahçe S.K. season

The 2011–12 season was Fenerbahçe's 54th consecutive season in the Süper Lig and their 105th year in existence.

However, on 24 August 2011, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), under pressure from UEFA in connection with a match-fixing investigation, banned Fenerbahçe from participating in the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League.^[4][5]

Match fixing scandal

In July 2011, as part of a major match-fixing investigation by authorities in Turkey, nearly 60 people suspected to be involved with fixing games were detained by İstanbul Police Department Organized Crime Control Bureau and then arrested by the court.^[6] The Turkish football corruption scandal is an ongoing investigation about match-fixing, bribery, starting a gang, organized crime and intimidation in Turkey's top two divisions, the Süper Lig and the First League.^[6] On 10 July 2011, the club president Aziz Yıldırım was remanded in custody over allegations of match-fixing.^[1] On 19 July 2011, the TFF announced that the Turkish Super Cup game between Süper Lig champion Fenerbahçe and Turkish Cup winner Beşiktaş was postponed to an unknown date due to prosecution investigation.^[7] On 21 July 2011, at the Fenerbahçe-Shakhtar friendly game in Istanbul, Fenerbahçe fans with the full support of Fenerbahçe officials^[8] ripped out the seats and threw them onto the Turkish press.^[9] Police struggled to gain control for about 40–45 minutes and some cameramen, security officers and Ukrainian press were seriously wounded.^[10][11] Fenerbahçe fans invaded the pitch and threw flares towards security and protested both UEFA and FIFA, yelling that "you cannot relegate Fenerbahçe even if they did match-fixing".^[12] After that, the match was cancelled by the referee.^[13][14] According to Turkish Law number 6222 regarding "violence in sports", Article 16: invading the pitch, dressing room or/and corridor will be sentenced to 3 months-1 year in jail. If it seriously collapses the match security, then one will be sentenced to 1–3 years in jail. Article 17: Harming someone on the pitch or/and harming something in the stadium will be punished by Turkish Penal Code.^[15]

On 25 July 2011, TFF announced that the Süper Lig was delayed to 9 September 2011 and the TFF First League was postponed to 10 September 2011 due to prosecution investigation.^[16] On 28 July, Fenerbahçe declared that Emmanuel Emenike who joined the team 2 months ago from Karabükspor and involved in police investigation of the match-fixing scandal was on the list of transfers due to the possibility of relegation of Fenerbahçe.^[17] On the same day, four Fenerbahçe supporters were detained, with four more wanted.^[18] After four hours of declaration of Fenerbahçe, Fenerbahçe announced that Emmanuel Emenike was sold to Spartak Moscow.^[19]

On 29 July 2011, a third wave of investigation were started and Fenerbahçe official Murat Özaydınlı, Fenerbahçe Administrative Manager Hasan Çetinkaya, İBB Spor player and former Fenerbahçe player Can Arat and former referee and ex-Gençlerbirliği official Zafer Önder İpek were questioned.^[20]

On 2 August 2011, a fourth wave of investigation began and Fenerbahçe player Emre Belözoğlu, former Beşiktaş player and journalist Sinan Engin, Ankaragücü player Kaan Söylemezgiller, Manager Ekrem Okumuş and journalist Tahir Kum were questioned.^[21]

On 5 August 2011, UEFA Chief Executive Gianni Infantino said "In these uncertain times we must take care to protect our game. Threats from outside the game, including illegal betting and match-fixing, are a cause for real concern. We have seen major incidents in domestic leagues in Turkey, Greece and Italy, where matches remain under investigation. And UEFA is working hard behind the scenes to help rid the game of these threats. We are constantly monitoring all European domestic top league matches, as well as all UEFA matches, for any signs of unusual betting patterns, And to reiterate the warnings made earlier this season, I would like to remind you all that UEFA has a zero tolerance policy towards any involvement in illegal betting or irregular activities connected to our matches.Armed with new, tougher disciplinary regulations, we will not hesitate to investigate and prosecute any individual or any club that is caught. It is important that we face this threat to our game together and act quickly and decisively in order to deal with the issue."^[22]

On 15 August 2011, the TFF announced that they had deferred a decision on possible sanctions for the clubs implicated in a match-fixing scandal until a prosecutor's indictment into the case. However, TFF President said they had arrested 17 people, and 35 people who were under trial without arrest would be referred to the Professional Football Disciplinary Board in the scope of match fixing and incentive pay included in the investigation file.^[23] Trabzonspor and Galatasaray reacted to the declaration of TFF and made their statements.^[24][25]

On 17 August 2011, after the declaration of TFF on 15 August, Fenerbahçe gained 49 percent more value per unit share in the stock market. Capital Markets Board of Turkey (SPK) and Istanbul Stock Exchange (İMKB) immediately launched an investigation to see if there had been any manipulation or insider trading behind this unprecedented volatility in the shares. SPK and İMKB specialists were also in contact with İstanbul Prosecutor's office and İstanbul Police Department OCCB.^[26]

On 22 August 2011, it was the first time in history^[27] that UEFA had sent Chief Inspector of the UEFA Disciplinary Committee Pierre Cornu to meet the prosecutor directly to find out what happened in Turkey. Cornu met Mehmet Berk who is the prosecutor of match-fixing investigation at İstanbul Prosecutor's Office.^{[28][29][30][31]}

On 24 August 2011, the TFF, under pressure from UEFA in connection with the match-fixing investigation, banned Fenerbahçe from participating in the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League.^[4][5][32]

On the same day, UEFA announced that the Trabzonspor-Athletic Bilbao game was cancelled. UEFA decided to replace Fenerbahçe with Trabzonspor, runners-up in the 2010–11 Süper Lig. UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino said: "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. The Turkish Football Federation has shown with this decision that it takes its full responsibility in the fight against corruption."^[33]

On 25 August 2011, Fenerbahçe Deputy President Nihat Özdemir resigned as deputy president and all other duties assigned, due to UEFA's 24 August 2011 statement.^[34] Fenerbahçe President Aziz Yıldırım, who is in jail, also resigned as president of the Süper Lig Teams Organization.^[35] The Arbitration Board of TFF rejected Fenerbahçe's appeal regarding admission to Champions League.^[36]

On 26 August 2011, UEFA President Michel Platini said "Match-fixing scandals have badly tarnished the game recently, with Turkish champions Fenerbahçe this week withdrawn from the Champions League amid investigations into allegations in that country. If you have match-fixing and the result of the game is known before it is played, what is the point of going to the match, or reporting it?"^[37]

On 6 September 2011, UEFA President Michel Platini said "Don't you really know why Fenerbahçe couldn't join the UEFA Champions League? The investigation is still going on. When it's completed, everybody knows everything in details. However, it is certain that it won't be good for Turkish football anymore."^[38][39]

On 9 September 2011, TFF President Mehmet Ali Aydınlar declared that they had changed their decision of 15 August 2011's statement and would make a decision regarding the previous season at the end of the 2011–12 season, whereas they already announced that they deferred a decision on possible sanctions for the clubs implicated in a match-fixing scandal until a prosecutor's indictment into the case.^[40]

On 26 September 2011, in Italy, Naples prosecutor Rosario Cantelmo announced that he had discovered illegal betting activities in the Fenerbahçe – MTK Budapest match on 30 July 2008.^[41]

On 25 January 2012, UEFA Chief Executive Gianni Infantino declared, "I think it is important that the TFF is taking decisions, the right decisions, with regards to this whole match-fixing situation. The disciplinary proceedings from the sporting side, they need to go fast, because it is important that the integrity and regularity of the competition is guaranteed as soon as possible."^[42]

On 26 January 2012, General Convention of TFF, which consists of Turkish clubs, rejected a federation proposal to spare clubs from possible relegation over a match-fixing scandal.^[43]

Kits

Fenerbahçe's 2011–12 kits were introduced on 15 July 2011 on fenerbahce.org and produced by Adidas. The home kit's name is Çubuklu Forma, which means "barred ki"; the away kit's name is Tek Yıldız Forma, which means "one star kit"; the third kit's name is Altın Zırh Forma, which means "golden armor kit"; and the fourth kit's name is Sarı Kanarya Forma, which means "yellow canary kit".^[44]

Transfers

In

No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Age	Moving from	Type	Transfer window	Ends	Transfer fee	Source
19	FW		Emmanuel Emenike	24	Kardemir Karabükspor	Transfer	Summer	2015	€9M	Fenerbahce.org
67	DF		Orhan Şam	24	Gençlerbirliği	Transfer	Summer	2015	€3.5M	Fenerbahce.org
53	DF		Serdar Kesimal	22	Kayserispor	Transfer	Summer	2016	€4M	Fenerbahce.org
8	MF		Sezer Öztürk	25	Eskişehirspor	Transfer	Summer	2016	€2.75M	Fenerbahce.org
3	DF		Reto Ziegler	25	Juventus	Loan	Summer	2012	€0.6M	Fenerbahce.org
6	DF		Joseph Yobo	30	Everton	Loan	Summer	2012	€0.7M	Fenerbahce.org
15	FW		Henri Bienvenu	23	Young Boys	Transfer	Summer	2015	€4M	Fenerbahce.org
60	MF		Özgür Çek	21	Ankaragücü	Transfer	Winter	2015	Free	Fenerbahce.org
7	FW		Moussa Sow	26	Lille	Transfer	Winter	2016	€10M	Fenerbahce.org

Total spending: €34.55 million

Out

N	Pos.	Nat.	Name	Age	Moving to	Type	Transfer window	Transfer fee	Source
17	DF		Okan Alkan	18	Kayserispor	Loan	Summer	Free	Kayserispor.org.tr
6	DF		İlhan Eker	28	Kayserispor	Released	Summer	Free	Kayserispor.org.tr
18	MF		Abdülkadir Kayalı	20	Eskişehirspor	Released	Summer	Free	Eskisehirspor.org.tr
15	GK		Volkan Babacan	22	Manisaspor	Loan	Summer	Free	Manisaspor.org.tr
19	FW		Emmanuel Emenike	24	Spartak Moscow	Sell	Summer	€10M	Spartak.com
9	FW		Dani Güiza	31	Getafe	Sell	Summer	undisclosed	Getafecf.com
2	DF		Diego Lugano	30	Paris Saint-Germain	Sell	Summer	€3M	Psg.fr
27	DF		André Santos	28	Arsenal	Sell	Summer	€7M	Arsenal.com
7	FW		Mamadou Niang	31	Al Sadd	Sell	Summer	€7.5M	Al-saddclub.net
25	MF		Uğur Boral	29	Samsunspor	Sell	Winter	Free	Samsunspor.org.tr
99	FW		Recep Berk Elitez	19	Kayseri Erciyesspor	Loan	Winter	Free	Erciyesspor.org.tr

Total income: €27.5 million

Line-up

First-team squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  TUR Volkan Demirel 3 DF  SUI Reto Ziegler 4 DF  TUR Bekir İrtegün 6 DF  NGA Joseph Yobo 7 FW  SEN Moussa Sow 8 MF  TUR Sezer Öztürk 9 MF  SVK Miroslav Stoch 10 MF  BRA Alex 14 MF  TUR Gökay Iravul 15 FW  CMR Henri Bienvenu 16 MF  BRA Cristian 20 MF  TUR Özer Hurmacı

No. Pos. Nation Player 23 FW  TUR Semih Şentürk 34 GK  TUR Mert Günok 38 MF  TUR Mehmet Topuz 53 DF  TUR Serdar Kesimal 58 DF  BRA Bilica 60 MF  TUR Özgür Çek 62 MF  TUR Selçuk Şahin 67 DF  TUR Orhan Şam 77 DF  TUR Gökhan Gönül 85 GK  TUR Serkan Kırıntılı 88 DF  TUR Caner Erkin 92 MF  SEN Issiar Dia 95 FW  TUR Recep Niyaz

Out on Loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF  TUR Okan Alkan (at Kayserispor until 30 June 2012–13) — GK  TUR Volkan Babacan (at Manisaspor until June 2011–12) — GK  TUR Ertuğrul Taşkıran (at Samsunspor until June 2011–12) — DF  TUR Hasan Erbey (at Konya Şekerspor until June 2011–12)

No. Pos. Nation Player — FW  TUR Furkan Aydın (at Bozüyükspor until June 2011–12) — MF  TUR Onur Karakabak (at Manisaspor until June 2011–12) — FW  TUR Recep Berk Elitez (at Kayseri Erciyesspor until June 2011–12)

Squad statistics

No.	Pos.	Player		League		Cup		Total		Discipline
				Apps.	Goal	Apps.	Goal	Apps.	Goal
1	GK	Volkan Demirel		38	0	1	0	39	0	6	0
3	DF	Reto Ziegler		38	1	4	0	42	1	8	0
4	DF	Bekir İrtegün		23	0	3	0	26	0	6	0
5	MF	Emre Belözoğlu		27	6	2	0	29	6	11	0
6	DF	Joseph Yobo		39	1	3	0	42	1	5	0
7	FW	Moussa Sow		12	7	2	1	14	8	2	0
8	DF	Sezer Öztürk		5	0	0	0	5	0	1	0
9	FW	Miroslav Stoch		33	12	4	0	37	12	3	0
10	MF	Alex		33	14	4	3	36	17	6	1
14	MF	Gökay Iravul		3	0	1	0	4	0	0	0
15	FW	Henri Bienvenu		36	8	3	4	39	12	0	0
16	MF	Cristian		38	8	5	2	43	10	8	0
20	MF	Özer Hurmacı		18	1	4	0	22	1	3	0
22	GK	Ertuğrul Taşkıran		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
23	FW	Semih Şentürk		22	1	3	2	25	3	3	0
34	GK	Mert Günok		2	0	4	0	6	0	0	0
35	DF	Hasan Erbey		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
38	MF	Mehmet Topuz		33	3	4	0	37	3	3	0
53	DF	Serdar Kesimal		12	0	3	0	15	0	6	0
58	DF	Bilica		10	0	2	0	12	0	2	0
60	MF	Özgür Çek		4	0	3	0	7	0	0	0
62	MF	Selçuk Şahin		28	0	2	1	30	1	5	0
67	DF	Orhan Şam		15	0	4	0	19	0	3	0
77	DF	Gökhan Gönül		30	1	2	0	32	1	5	0
85	GK	Serkan Kırıntılı		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
88	MF	Caner Erkin		31	2	5	1	36	3	8	1
92	FW	Issiar Dia		16	3	3	1	19	4	2	1
95	FW	Recep Niyaz		3	0	0	0	3	0	0	0
Players sold or loaned out after the start of the season
99	FW	Recep Berk Elitez		0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
25	MF	Uğur Boral		3	0	0	0	3	0	1	0
Last updated: 16 May 2012

Club

The Board of Directors

President	Aziz Yıldırım
Deputy-president/Press Spokesman	Nihat Özdemir[34]
Secretary general	Vedat Olcay
Vice-president/Member	Ali Koç
Vice-president, Financial and Project	Nihat Özbağı
Member	Alaeddin Yıldırım
Vice-president/Member	Murat Özaydınlı
Vice-president, Social Organisations & Associations	Mithat Yenigün
Vice-president, Amateur Departments	Mahmut Nedim Uslu
Vice-president, Formal Association Relations	Serhat Çeçen
Vice-president, Law & Institutional Relations	Şekip Mosturoğlu
Football and Stadium Infrastructure	Ömer Temelli
Social Organisations	Ünal Uzun
Fenerbahçe Training Company	Turan Şahin

Source: Board of Directors

Pre-season friendlies

  Win   Draw   Loss   Postponed

Competitions

Overall

Competition	Started round	Current position / round	Final position / round	First match	Last match
Süper Lig	—	2nd	2nd	12 September 2011	12 May 2012
Türkiye Kupası	—	—	Winners	10 January 2012	16 May 2012

Source: Competitions

Süper Kupa

  Win   Draw   Loss   Postponed

Süper Lig

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Galatasaray	34	23	8	3	69	24	+45	77	Qualification to Süper Final, Championship group
2	Fenerbahçe	34	20	8	6	61	34	+27	68
3	Trabzonspor	34	15	11	8	60	39	+21	56
4	Beşiktaş	34	15	10	9	50	39	+11	55
5	Eskişehirspor	34	14	8	12	42	41	+1	50[a]	Qualification to Süper Final, Europa League group

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
34	20	8	6	61	34	+27	68	14	3	0	39	12	+27	6	5	6	22	22	0

Results by round

Matches

  Win   Draw   Loss   Postponed

Süper Final

Final table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Galatasaray (C)	6	2	3	1	9	6	+3	48	Qualification to Champions League group stage
2	Fenerbahçe	6	4	1	1	9	4	+5	47	Qualification to Champions League third qualifying round
3	Trabzonspor	6	1	2	3	5	10	−5	33	Qualification to Europa League play-off round[a]
4	Beşiktaş	6	1	2	3	5	8	−3	33	Banned from 2012–13 European competitions[b]

Final results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
6	4	1	1	9	4	+5	13	2	1	0	4	1	+3	2	0	1	5	3	+2

Final results by round

Final matches

  Win   Draw   Loss   Postponed

Türkiye Kupası

  Win   Draw   Loss   Postponed

UEFA Champions League

Fenerbahçe was suspended by the TFF on 24 August 2011 from participating in the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League due to an ongoing investigation into match-fixing allegations. The club was replaced in the competition with Trabzonspor.^[33]

Top scorers

Competition	Result	Top scorer
Süper Lig	2nd	Alex, 14
Türkiye Kupası	Winners	Henri Bienvenu, 4
Overall		Alex, 17

References