FIFA cut Türkiye's punishment for crowd and bench violence during their 2006 World Cup qualifying playoff against Switzerland from six matches behind closed doors to three, the governing body announced in June 2006. Türkiye must stage those three matches on neutral ground, and if further trouble occurs during or after the ban period, the original six-match penalty will be reinstated.
The sanctions stemmed from a brawl involving players and coaching staff from both sides at the end of the second leg in Istanbul last November. Switzerland advanced on away goals after Türkiye won the home match 4-2 but lost in Bern 2-0.
FIFA also trimmed the individual suspensions of Turkish midfielder Belozoglu Emre and Swiss player Benjamin Huggel from six matches to four, while keeping their 9,600-euro fines in place. Turkish defender Alpay retained a six-match ban, and assistant coach Mehmet Ozdilek remained barred from all football activity for one year.
FIFA cited the Turkish Football Federation's public apology and its acceptance of full responsibility as reasons for the reductions. Both federations confirmed they were dropping planned appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in June 2006, in its own words.