Turkish FA chiefs quit amid match-fixing crisis

The TFF said chairman Mehmet Ali Aydinlar had resigned and Husnu Gureli would stand in until a new federation election is held on February 27.

No reason was given for the resignations, but they came days after Turkish football clubs rejected a proposed regulatory reform designed to spare them from possible relegation over a match-fixing scandal in which several of the top clubs including champions Fenerbahce are implicated.

At last week's extraordinary general meeting of the federation, considered vital to restoring the league's reputation and unity, Aydinlar called the match-fixing affair the most serious crisis Turkish football had ever faced.

UEFA, European football's governing body, has called on Turkey to act quickly and take disciplinary action against those allegedly involved in the match-fixing.

Tuesday's announcement came one day after the federation said the chairman and his deputies would continue in their posts at the insistence of federation delegates "to prevent a worsening of the atmosphere of chaos in which football finds itself."

The indictment refers to 13 matches, including Fenerbahce's 4-3 victory over Sivasspor which saw them clinch the league championship on the final day of last season.

In a written statement from his jail cell, Yildirim called the proposal to remove the threat of relegation "a black stain on the history of Turkish football."

The Turkish federation excluded Fenerbahce from this season's Champions League, with runners-up Trabzonspor taking their place, in an initial move after the investigation started.