Somut Norm Denetimine Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu Tahkim Kurulu’nun Başvuru İmkanı Üzerine Bir Değerlendirme
Spor hukuku alanında ortaya çıkan ve ekonomik değeri yüksek uyuşmazlıkların sayısı her geçen gün artmaktadır. Bu uyuşmazlıklardan özellikle spor faaliyetlerinin yönetimine ve disiplinine ilişkin olanlarının hızlı çözümlenmesi ve telafisi mümkün olmayan zararlara sebebiyet vermemesi için de uyuşmazlıkların mahkemeler yerine tahkim yolu ile çözümlenmesi dünyada tercih edilen bir yöntem haline gelmiştir. Nitekim Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Anayasası’nda da spor federasyonlarının spor faaliyetlerinin yönetimine ve disiplinine ilişkin kararlarına karşı ancak zorunlu tahkim yoluna başvurulabileceği, tahkim kurullarının vereceği kararların kesin olduğu ve bu kararlara karşı yargı yolunun kapalı olduğu düzenlenmiştir.
Anayasa’da yer alan ilgili hüküm ve diğer düzenlemeler doğrultusunda Futbol Federasyonu’nun spor faaliyetlerinin yönetimine ve disiplinine ilişkin kararlarına karşı da başvurulabilecek tek ve yetkili mercii TFF Tahkim Kurulu olarak belirlenmiştir. Zorunlu tahkim yargılaması yapan TFF Tahkim Kurulu’nun baktığı davalarda uyguladığı kanunların anayasaya aykırı olduğu taraflarca iddia edildiğinde yahut anayasaya aykırılık kanısına bizzat TFF Tahkim Kurulu vardığında somut norm denetimine başvuru imkanının olup olmadığı ise bir kesinlik taşımamaktadır. Spor paydaşlarının anayasayla güvence altına alınan temel hak ve özgürlüklerinin korunması ve spor alanında anayasaya aykırı düzenlemelerin hukuk sisteminden ayıklanması, taraflarca uyuşmazlıklarda uygulanan kanunlar hakkında anayasaya aykırılık itirazında bulunulabilmesi ve TFF Tahkim Kurulu’na bu itirazı Anayasa Mahkemesi’ne götürme yetkisinin tanınması ile mümkün olacaktır.
Çalışmada, Anayasa’nın 152. maddesinde belirtilen somut norm denetimi yoluna başvuru şartlarından her biri TFF Tahkim Kurulu’nun zorunlu tahkim yargılaması yaptığı haller kapsamında değerlendirilmiştir. TFF Tahkim Kurulu’nun somut norm denetimi yoluna başvuru yetkisinin olup olmadığı ve pozitif hukukta konuya özgü yapılması gereken değişiklikler, çalışmada tartışılmıştır.
A Review of the Possibility of Application for Concrete Norm Control by the Turkish Football Federation Arbitration Board
Arbitration, as an alternative dispute resolution method, is becoming more popular for resolving sports disputes and is also rising in Turkish law. Under the Constitution of the Republic of Turkey (the Constitution), objections to sports federations’ decisions related to the management and discipline of sports activities can only be made to arbitration, which is the authorised body. Additionally, the arbitration board’s decisions are considered final and cannot be appealed to the judiciary.
According to the Constitution and other relevant statutes, the Turkish Football Federation Arbitration Board (TFF Arbitration Board) has been designated as the only authorised body to which objections can be made against decisions related to the management and discipline of sports activities by the Turkish Football Federation. However, it is uncertain whether concrete norm control is possible if the parties claim or if the TFF Arbitration Board finds that the laws applied by the Board in cases where it acts as a mandatory arbitral body are unconstitutional. It should be possible to raise objections to the Constitutional Court to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution for sports stakeholders and to eliminate unconstitutional regulations in sports law.
This study evaluates the conditions for resorting to concrete norm control, as stated in Article 152 of the Constitution, within the scope of the mandatory arbitration proceedings of the TFF Arbitration Board. It also addresses the necessary changes to Turkish positive law.
Arbitration, an alternative dispute resolution method, is increasingly being used to resolve sports disputes and is also gaining popularity in Turkish law. According to Article 59 of the Constitution of the Republic of Turkey (the Constitution), the decisions of sports federations related to the administration and discipline of sporting activities can be challenged only through compulsory arbitration. The arbitral board’s awards are final and shall not be appealed to any judicial authority. This means that disputes related to the decisions of sports federations concerning the management and discipline of sporting activities must be resolved through arbitration. The arbitral board possesses supreme authority in these cases, and its judgments are conclusive.
As per the provision of the Constitution and other related regulations, such as article 6 of the law, Nr. 5894 on Establishment and Duties of the Turkish Football Federation, the Turkish Football Federation Arbitration Board (TFF Arbitration Board) is the sole entity empowered to receive objections regarding decisions about the management and discipline of sporting activities by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF). Therefore, arbitration is compulsory for decisions about the management and discipline of the TFF’s sporting activities. This means that the parties are forced to initiate proceedings before the TFF Arbitration Board instead of the national court, and the decisions made by the Board are conclusive and cannot be contested.
In disputes where the TFF Arbitration Board is the sole authorised body, any objections regarding the constitutionality of the laws applied must also be directed to the Board. Nonetheless, it is unclear whether concrete norm control measures can be implemented when any party or the Board finds a constitutional violation during arbitrations conducted by the TFF Arbitration Board. It is crucial to review the Board’s jurisdiction to assess claims of unconstitutional laws because it is the only authorised body, and its decisions cannot be appealed.
The parties’ only recourse is to seek protection of their fundamental rights through concrete norm control through the TFF Arbitration Board. This is because the Board’s decisions regarding the management and discipline of sports activities are final, and individuals cannot start a case at the Turkish Constitutional Court through an individual application. Maintaining concrete norm control is crucial to safeguarding fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution for sports stakeholders. Concrete norm control also helps eliminate any unconstitutional regulations in sports law. Therefore, during arbitrations managed by the TFF Arbitration Boards, the parties should have the right to raise objections. The Board should also have the authority to bring such objections before the Constitutional Court.
This study examines the decision of Ali Rıza and Others v. Turkey (Case of European Court of Human Rights app no. 30226/10 dated 28 January 2020) and its effects as a hypothetical case study. In its decision, the Court ruled that Mr. Riza’s fair trial rights, as stated in Article 6 of the European Convention of Human Rights, were violated due to structural deficiencies in the TFF Arbitration Board. Since the same structural defects are still in Turkish law, any decisions of the TFF Arbitration Board would be tainted by the possibility of violating the parties’ fair trial rights. Therefore, parties should have the right to challenge the constitutionality of laws and apply for concrete norm control during arbitration, which is managed by the TFF Arbitration Board. When initiating concrete norm control in cases that the TFF Arbitration Board manages, it is vital to evaluate the criteria for concrete norm control stated in the Constitution.
Considering this objective, this study first examines compulsory arbitration in Turkish sport law. This highlights a potential issue of unconstitutionality, as stated in the Ali Rıza and Others v. Turkey, which could be brought before the TFF Arbitration Board. Then, each condition for resorting to concrete norm control, as stated in Article 152 of the Constitution, is evaluated within the scope of the mandatory arbitration proceedings of the TFF Arbitration Board. This study examines European Court of Human Rights rulings, decisions made by Constitutional Courts, and constitutional laws from multiple countries for comparative law analysis. This section concludes by discussing the required modifications to be made in the positive law.