Bayer Leverkusen will have to pay the highest price, as Hakan Çalhanoglu has been banned for the rest of the season by FIFA and the Court of Arbitrage in Sports (CAS).
The Turkish ace has been banned from all competitions due to an illegal contract he signed six years ago with Trabzonspor. According to FIFA, Çalhanoglu signed a contract with the Super Lig club, which he later ignored to extend his contract with Bundesliga side Karlsruhe, the team he played for at the time.
FIFA and the CAS ruled that, by snubbing the previously signed contract with the Turkish team, Çalhanoglu's extension with Karlsruhe was illegal, forcing them to ban the player from all competitions.
This ban comes at a time in which Bayer Leverkusen need him the most, as Die Werkself have struggled all season to find consistency. The midfielder has been key all year for coach Roger Schmidt, scoring 7 goals in 21 games so far.
Bayer Leverkusen exec Rudi Völler voiced his complaint about this decision.
"We deeply regret this decision, which is incomprehensible to us. It's a massive blow for Hakan and for our team. We're being harshly punished, even though our team had nothing to do with the events of 2011. We will lose a key player during a crucial part of the season," Völler stated.
Bayer Leverkusen is currently ranked 9th in the Bundesliga, winning only seven games in the domestic competition. To make matters worse, the Turkish player will also be out for the crucial UEFA Champions League tie against Atlético Madrid.
