Hakan Calhanoglu banned for four months by FIFA By James Dale
Last Updated: 02/02/17 5:57pm
Hakan Calhanoglu will miss the rest of Bayer Leverkusen's season after a four-month ban from FIFA was upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The 22-year-old attacking midfielder, who attracted Tottenham Hotspur's interest last summer, will also miss his team's Champions League round-of-16 matches against Atletico Madrid later this month. Calhanoglu had been locked in a contract dispute with Turkish club Trabzonspor dating back to 2011, when the player - then a minor - reached an agreement to join the club only to extend his contract at Karlsruhe and later sign for Hamburger SV. FIFA ruled in favour of the Turkish club and imposed the ban, which was suspended pending the appeal at CAS.
"We regret this decision which we cannot comprehend," said Leverkusen sports director Rudi Voeller.
"Leverkusen is not involved in the dispute with Calhanoglu having joined in 2014 from Hamburger SV.
"This is a big blow both for Hakan and for us. Although Bayer Leverkusen had nothing to do with this it is also punished. Now we will miss an important player during a key part of the season."
http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11881/10753684/hakan-calhanoglu-banned-for-four-months-by-fifa
