Turkey has postponed the start of its soccer season until Sept. 9 because of a game-fixing investigation that has landed 30 suspects in jail, including the president of the league champion.
The Turkish soccer federation made the decision Monday, delaying a season set to begin Aug. 5.
The investigation involving 19 games has shaken Turkish soccer. Along with Fenerbahce president Aziz Yildirim, officials from Istanbul club Besiktas and Black Sea power Trabzonspor are also jailed pending trial.
Fenerbahce won 16 of 17 league matches in the latter part of the season, rallying from a distant third place to win a record 18th title.
Fenerbahce fans took to the streets in violent protests against the detention of club officials with the team at risk of losing its title.
The decision to postpone the start of the league came despite warnings by Fenerbahce that such a decision would further harm the club, which has already lost millions of dollars after its shares plunged in the stock market.
Turkish authorities, meanwhile, are also looking into the suspicious movement of Fenerbahce shares and those of other clubs on the Istanbul stock market last season.
Last Thursday, hundreds of angry Fenerbahce fans invaded the field at Sukru Saracoglu stadium in the second half of a friendly against Ukrainian champion Shakhtar Donetsk, forcing the abandonment of the game.
Fenerbahce fans - some wearing masks and T-shirts bearing the picture of Yildirim - also attacked media representatives for what they regard as critical media coverage of the fixing probe.
The federation described the incidents as ''unacceptable,'' but so far has refrained from taking any disciplinary measures against Fenerbahce or Trabzonspor, allowing them to compete in the Champions League.
Turkey is the latest country to be affected by a slew of match-fixing and betting scandals around the globe, from South Korea to Zimbabwe.
The Turkish government has promised to be tough on match-fixing, introducing legislation three months ago to confront hooliganism and cheating in soccer, which includes a maximum 12-year prison sentence for fixing games.
