Turkey get six-game Fifa sanction

FIFA SANCTIONS Turkey to play six games behind closed doors in neutral venue at least 312 miles from Turkish border Turkish Football Federation fined £90,000 plus £9,000 costs Alpay gets six-game ban; £7,500 fine Emre gets six-game ban; £7,500 fine Serkan Balci gets two-game ban; £2,500 fine Mehmet Ozdilek gets 12-month ban from football; £7,500 fine Benjamin Huggel gets six-game ban; £7,500 fine Stephan Meyer gets two-game ban; £3,000 fine

Turkey have been ordered by world soccer's governing body Fifa to play their next six home matches at a neutral ground and behind closed doors.

The punishment comes following a fracas after their World Cup play-off against Switzerland in Istanbul, last November.

Switzerland's Benjamin Huggel and Turkey's Alpay Ozalan and Emre Belozoglu have been banned for six games for their part in the incident.

Turkey were also fined 200,000 Swiss francs (£88,000).

Players and officials from both sides were involved in a scuffle in the tunnel after the final whistle of the ill-tempered first leg of the play-off for Germany 2006.

Swiss substitute defender Stephane Grichting needed hospital treatment after receiving a kick in the groin.

Meanwhile, Turkey's Serkan Balci also gets a two-match suspension and, Mehmet Ozdilek, who left his role as the national side's assistant coach after the incident, has been banned from taking part in any football-related activity, within associations, confederations or Fifa for 12 months.

Switzerland's physio, Stephan Meyer, has been handed a two-game suspension.

"I describe this decision as unacceptable. This is a political decision rather than a sports decision," Turkey's sports minister Mehmet Ali Sahin told NTV news channel.

The Turkish FA and those players given six-match bans can appeal against the punishments and go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne.

Turkey lost the first match in the two-leg tie against Switzerland, which was played in Bern, by a 2-0 margin.

But they ultimately only went out on the away goals rule after winning 4-2 at home in the now infamous second leg in Istanbul.