Atiba Hutchinson is moving to Turkey to join Besiktas after the Istanbul-based club announced on Wednesday it has signed the Canadian midfielder.
Hutchinson, who skipped Canada’s Gold Cup run earlier this month so that he could sort out his club future, signed a two-year deal with the club worth more than two million euros.
The Brampton, Ontario, native became a free agent this summer after his contract with Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven came to an end. He had been linked with Besiktas for a number of weeks.
Though the payday is good, he joins a club that has the taint of match-fixing attached to it. Besiktas finished in third place in last year’s Süper Lig, which qualified them for the Europa League. But after UEFA found them guilty of match-fixing, the club was banned from European competition for this season.
Besiktas have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which is expected to rule on the matter in August. The CAS has allowed Besiktas to take part in the Europa League draw pending their final ruling.
Hutchinson has 64 caps for Canada and has scored four times.
