Turkish sides Fenerbahçe and Besiktas will be included in the draws for the Champions and Europa League on Friday after the Court of Arbitration for Sport "temporarily lifted UEFA bans for their involvement in a match-fixing scandal," according to Ece Toksabay of REUTERS. The clubs "were banned last month after a protracted UEFA inquiry following the scandal" in '11. European football's governing body "banned Fenerbahçe for two years and Besiktas one." In a statement on Thursday, the Switzerland-based court said the decisions taken by UEFA "have been stayed and will not be enforced until CAS issues its final decision in each matter." That clears the way for both to be included in Friday's draw for the third qualifying rounds of their competitions, and also, if they qualify, "to be included in the draws for the final playoff rounds" on Aug. 9. However, even if both teams come through those preliminary rounds, "they may still be banned from the group stages." CAS said that "the final decision on Fenerbahçe will be issued" before Aug. 28 and a final decision on Besiktas on Aug. 30. The draws for the group stages of the two competitions take place in Monaco on Aug. 29 (Champions League) and Aug. 30 (Europa League) (REUTERS, 7/18).
