Northern Cypriot football club excluded from association
Northern Cypriot football club excluded from association
Northern Cypriot football club excluded from association
The Turkish Cypriot football club Miracle Degirmenlik from the village of Kythrea in the Nicosia district was suspended by the Cyprus Turkish Football Association (CTFA) on Wednesday. The reason for the exclusion is concerns about the composition of the club's administration .
The CTFA said it had received a letter from the "Nicosia District Office" announcing that the club was being investigated for alleged violations of the law . The allegations made in the letter were " serious " and concerned " repeated violations ".
Background to the suspension
According to the newspaper Yeni Duzen, the district office has raised an objection to the administration of the association because:
- Meetings were not held in accordance with the law .
- Hakan Torehan , chairman of the club, had previously been convicted of a serious offence and was therefore not allowed to serve as chairman.
The “ serious offence ” in question refers to a 2019 court case in which Torehan, born in London, was sentenced to one year in prison for writing the code for an illegal virtual betting platform .
deadline for clarifying the allegations
The CTFA has given Miracle Degirmenlik until the end of the month to prove that the club's administration is being conducted legally . The next away match against Cihangir has been suspended until further notice .
Rise and Controversies of the Club
The club has been attracting attention since the pandemic after:
- In a short period of time, they had achieved several league promotions .
- signed top players from other clubs.
- Was often confronted with scandals on and off the pitch.
Originally, the club was only called “Degirmenlik” but after a break in play, it changed its name to “Miracle Degirmenlik” . This was done in reference to Torehan’s cryptocurrency company Miracle Cash & More .
In 2022, the club was promoted to the Northern Cypriot Super League and immediately fought for the championship .
legal dispute with the CTFA
In January 2023, the CTFA refused to approve the transfer of Turkish striker Burak Kocar from Gocmenkoy Club. Miracle Degirmenlik then attempted to take legal action against the CTFA . The CTFA's reaction: exclusion from the Super League .
Despite a nine-month break from play , the club managed to gain immediate promotion back to the Super League after winning the second division championship with six games to spare.
Current allegations and financial problems
New controversies emerged after:
- The away game against Esentepe on February 1 was cancelled due to alleged match-fixing .
- Kasım Tagman , a former player, and Ezel Kaynak , chairman of the club Turk Ocagi Limasol , were involved in the investigation.
- Investigations revealed that checks that Miracle Degirmenlik had issued to Esentepe to sign players bounced .
television rights and media withdrawal
- Miracle Spor TV , also owned by Hakan Torehan , initially received the broadcasting rights for Turkish Cypriot League matches.
- However, following the scandal allegations, two well-known sports journalists resigned and accused the broadcaster of a lack of impartiality .
- The CTFA then terminated the contract with Miracle Spor TV and transferred the broadcasting rights to the state broadcaster BRT .
Further allegations against Torehan
Away from football, Torehan's cryptocurrency company Miracle Cash & More faced allegations of fraud .
🔹 According to New Zealand investigative journalist Danny de Hek :
- The company claimed to be valued at $3.5 billion , but only generated $10,000 in revenue .
- Faked alleged partnerships with well-known companies such as Coinbase and Bitpanda .
- Operating under a licence that had been revoked in Estonia and did not have a valid authorisation to operate in the UK.
- The business model contains characteristics of a pyramid scheme , since 30% of the investments immediately flow into commissions .
Torehan's reaction
Hakan Torehan denies all allegations. He claims that his business dealings are legal and proper .
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Source: CyprusMail.com
Author: Tom Cleaver
Source: CyprusMail.com
Author: Tom Cleaver
