Published on 5 December 2022

SECOND SECTION

Application no. 51563/20 Adnan Yüksel GÜRÜZ against Türkiye lodged on 18 November 2020 communicated on 15 November 2022

SUBJECT MATTER OF THE CASE

The application concerns disciplinary proceedings before the Professional Disciplinary Committee of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) and the Arbitration Committee. The applicant, who is a professor of Parasitology and a licensed top-level safety and observer officer for the TFF at the relevant time, was sanctioned with the cancellation of his TFF license on the grounds that he acted contrary to the written instructions of the TFF by sharing observer reports and information concerning a match played on 16 June 2020 with third parties on a WhatsApp group without the prior-authorisation and knowledge of TFF officials.

Relying on the findings of the Court in the case of Ali Rıza and Others v. Turkey (nos. 30226/10 and 4 others, §§201-223, 28 January 2020), the applicant complains under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention that he was not tried by an independent and impartial tribunal. He further complains of a violation of his rights under Article 10 of the Convention.

QUESTIONS TO THE PARTIES

1. Did the proceedings in issue satisfy the requirements of independence and impartiality in accordance with Article 6 § 1 of the Convention (see Ali Rıza and Others, cited above, §§ 201-223)?

2. Has there been a violation of the applicant’s right to freedom of expression, in particular his right to impart information, contrary to Article 10 of the Convention (see, for example, Herbai v. Hungary , no. 11608/15, §§ 35-52, 5 November 2019)?