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Players banned in Turkish match-fixing probe

Gaziantepspor midfielder Ibrahim Akin, who was with Buyuksehir Bld. Spor when accused, was banned for three years with Ankaragucu goalkeeper Serdar Kulbilge given a two-year ban.

The decision was taken while a criminal trial, involving 93 defendants including the chairman of champions Fenerbahce, was still underway.

Shares in Fenerbahce, Turkey's richest club, surged 10 percent after the announcement on the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) website early on Monday, although its chairman Aziz Yildirim is currently in jail pending a verdict.

Fenerbahce shares were also boosted by the Istanbul-based club's improved chances of retaining the league title after Sunday's matches.

However, the outcome of the federation's investigation will be closely analysed by European football's ruling body UEFA amid previous expectations that clubs could face relegation or exclusion from Europe over the allegations.

Fenerbahce will host city rivals Galatasaray next Saturday in a match which will determine this year's champions. Galatasaray are currently leaders in the league playoffs on 47 points, ahead of Fenerbahce on 46.

Ahead of the disciplinary board's decision, the federation had softened the punishment for match-fixing, ruling that clubs caught unsuccessfully trying to fix matches would only face points' deductions rather than relegation.

A previous TFF chairman and his two deputies resigned in frustration in January over the federation's failure to agree on how to punish clubs caught up in the scandal. Former Besiktas chairman Demiroren was elected as the TFF chairman in February.

The scandal erupted last July when police carried out raids against those accused of involvement in rigging 13 matches, including Fenerbahce's 4-3 victory over Sivasspor which clinched the league championship on the final day of last season.

Fenerbahce's Yildirim denies the charges against him and says the case was specifically designed to undermine the 18-times dome