On Monday, 28 November and Tuesday, 29 November, FIFA conducted the first round of hearings in connection with the incidents that occurred before and after the 2006 FIFA World Cup play-off between Turkey and Switzerland on 16 November 2005.
These hearings related to the main proceedings against the Turkish football association. A total of 22 people were questioned as witnesses or testifiers, in some cases more than once, about the incidents. I
n addition, the persons involved in individual cases were called as defendants. The results of the investigation will determine whether additional individual proceedings are brought against those concerned or whether further hearings and more evidence are necessary.
Due to the severity of the incidents in Istanbul, FIFA opened a disciplinary investigation to determine the exact nature and the perpetrators of the incidents, and to impose appropriate sanctions.
The proceedings were presided over by FIFA Disciplinary Committee acting chairman Sheik Salman Bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa (Bahrain) and the following people attended the hearings as witnesses or testifiers in proceedings against the Turkish football association:
FIFA:
Michal Listkiewicz (Poland, match commissioner), Alan Hutchings (England, security officer), Frank de Bleeckere (Belgium, referee)
The purpose and objective of the hearings on 28-29 November as part of the main proceedings against the Turkish football association and as part of individual proceedings opened against Alpay Özalan, Emre Belozoglu and Mehmet Özdilek (all of Turkey) as well as against Benjamin Huggel and Stephan Meyer (both of Switzerland), who were all heard separately, was simply to determine exactly what happened in Istanbul. The hearings were not intended to evaluate the information gathered or to determine the extent of any sanctions to be imposed.
The hearings conducted as part of all proceedings will be evaluated over the coming days. The FIFA Disciplinary Committee will then decide as quickly as possible on the next procedural steps, which could include conducting further hearings, gathering more evidence or opening additional proceedings.
The FIFA Disciplinary Committee will be responsible for reaching decisions after considering all of the evidence gathered. Due to the comprehensive scope of this investigation, the FIFA Disciplinary Committees decisions are not expected until early 2006.
Appeals against Disciplinary Committee decisions may in certain circumstances be lodged with the FIFA Appeal Committee, before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne can be called upon as the body of final instance in accordance with the FIFA Statutes.
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