Soccer-Court orders retrial of Fenerbahce chairman in fixing case

ISTANBUL, June 23 (Reuters) - A Turkish court has ordered a retrial of the match-fixing case that led to Fenerbahce chairman Aziz Yildirim being sentenced to more than six years in prison, according to official documents seen by Reuters on Monday. Yildirim was found guilty in 2012 and sentenced to six years and three months in jail. He had spent one year in prison ahead of the trial but was then freed pending an appeal. Regarded as the most powerful man in Turkish soccer, Yildirim has carried on working for the past two years as chairman of Fenerbahce who won their 19th top-flight title this season. He appealed against his conviction to a higher court in April but that was rejected and he went back to prison. A different criminal court on Monday also ordered a retrial for other Fenerbahce officials over their involvement in match-fixing in the 2010-11 season. The club were suspended from European soccer for two seasons last June and top-flight rivals Besiktas were given a one-season ban. Scores of individuals, including agents, former players and managers were arrested during two waves of investigations, with Yildirim being the highest-profile figure involved. Turkish sport has had to deal with a series of blows in recent years including doping scandals and losing the 2020 Olympics bid to Tokyo. (Writing by Ece Toksabay, editing by Tony Jimenez)