Cyprus-Forum.com

[zan]

The realities of any decision made in Cyprus.

Little hope remains for united football on the island
By Simon Bahceli
TURKISH Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat’s rejection last week of a Greek Cypriot offer to partially merge football’s governing bodies of the north and south brought two well-worn expressions to mind. One was “beware Greeks bearing gifts” – the thought that must have been running through Talat’s mind. The other was the one about “cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face”.

The Cyprus Football Association (CFA) ’s proposal had been a long time coming, and stemmed from meetings first held in Zurich in August 2007 between the CFA, the Cyprus Turkish Football Federation (CTFF) and UEFA (Europe’s branch of the world football governing body, FIFA). The aim of the meetings was, in the absence of a blueprint for the reunification the island, to find a way of providing Turkish Cypriot footballers with the opportunity to play teams from outside the narrow borders of the self-proclaimed and internationally-ostracised ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’.

After more than a year of meetings, a deal was tentatively struck whereby the CTFF would become a member of the CFA, thus allowing it to organise friendly tournaments and one-off matches with teams from the south and abroad. It would also open the door to the international transfer market and, most importantly, allow funding from FIFA and UEFA to be channeled into the north to help Turkish Cypriot teams improve facilities and the standard of their game. The icing on the cake was a provision for the accreditation by FIFA of two Turkish Cypriot referees.

Yet despite its obvious attractions, Talat rejected the proposal - even before a final draft had landed on the desk of the man who had been negotiating of behalf of Turkish Cypriot footballers for the past two years, TCFF head Omer Adal.

“Talat’s statement was badly timed,” Adal told the Sunday Mail at the Federation headquarters in north Nicosia. “And it gave the Greek Cypriots the chance to say that we had rejected it”.

Adal says he did not in fact reject the proposal, but had sent it back with a question: Why had elements of the proposal previously agreed between himself, his Greek Cypriot counterpart, FIFA and UEFA had been deleted from the final draft? Ominously for Adal, the deletions included a stipulation that the actions of the CTFF would be overseen and ratified by a four-way committee that included the participation, as well as that of the two Cypriot football authorities, of FIFA and UEFA. In the latest draft, the CFA gave itself sole rights to veto decisions made by the CTFF.

“That means funding will only be given if the CFA agrees, matches will only take place if they agree. They could demand we use Larnaca airport rather than the one here, they could object if we’re playing on land that belongs to a Greek Cypriot, or if the teams are staying in a Greek Cypriot hotel. One way or another they could make this agreement unworkable for political reasons,” Adal says.

But despite the deletions, he says he has not rejected the proposal, and insists that if the missing text is replaced, the deal will be back on.

While Adal admits his insistence on a four-way decision-making mechanism may be indicative of the endemic mistrust that exists between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities, he also believes such mistrust can begin to be overcome if the scope for either side to indulge in politics-through-sport are minimised. For his part, he would be quite happy to see the CTFF’s activities come under the watchful but impartial eyes of FIFA and EUFA.

“I’m sure the Greek Cypriots won’t want to see us holding football tournaments to celebrate July 20 [the anniversary of the Turkish invasion of the island]. Naturally we wouldn’t do that, but I’m sure they would be satisfied that such an action wouldn’t get past a four-way decision-making body”. In the same way, Adal wants reassurances that the matches and tournaments he dreams of organising do not fall foul to political pressure “from either side”.

“If there is good will, we can do a lot of good,” he says, but adds: “If the motives here are only political, we will get nowhere. And I say that to both sides”.

As admirable as Adal’s non-political approach is, one wonders if moderates like him will get far in mending even this one small aspect of the Cyprus divide. The CFA’s proposal, with or without alterations, has barely made the news in the north. This may be because, like the Cyprus problem itself, it is complicated – so complicated in fact that even the players seem to have little knowledge of what it would entail.

Twenty-eight year-old Cetinkaya centre forward Hakan Altin insists he will not play if his team joins the CFA, saying, “we want to play internationally, but if we do, we want to play under our own flag”. Altin is convinced that he would be forced to play under a Greek flag.

“We want people to know we are Turks. This is important for us,” he adds.

Cetinkaya trainer Mehmet Ali Ozgurgun is also convinced the CFA’s proposal stems from political motives and that it is no more than an attempt to place Turkish Cypriots under Greek Cypriot rule.

“We are like the blacks of Cyprus. They [Greek Cypriots] look down on us. Of course we want to play internationally, but if we accept this we will be finished,” he says.

Ozgurgun sees no difference between the CFA’s current offer and the day, in 1955, when his father and the rest of the Cetinkaya team turned up to play a match against a Greek Cypriot team, only to find themselves locked out of the stadium.

“They say we refused to play, but actually they locked us out, and they still want to lock us out. It’s all just a show”.

Show or not, Adal is determined to get the best for his members and attaches his last hopes to a possible resolution being found at Wednesday’s UN-sponsored negotiations between Talat and Greek Cypriot president Demetris Christofias. This, he says, could secure a deal ahead of a final meeting with FIFA and UEFA early next month.

“We have asked to meet with the leaders, along with representatives of the CFA, FIFA and our federation. Talat has agreed, but we are still waiting for the word from Christofias,” Adal said.

But chances are the politicians will not resolve this issue. More likely, it will simply give them more to argue about.

Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2009

[Oracle]

Talat is a racist bigot, so what can you expect from footballers ...

“We want people to know we are Turks."

Shame ....

[zan]

Talat is a racist bigot, so what can you expect from footballers ...

“We want people to know we are Turks."

Shame ....

Coming from you, who goes around the internet promoting Greece, is just about as funny as it gets....

[Oracle]

Talat is a racist bigot, so what can you expect from footballers ...

“We want people to know we are Turks."

Shame ....

Coming from you, who goes around the internet promoting Greece, is just about as funny as it gets....

I've asked you before, and you slinked off without a reply ... where do I "go around the Internet promoting Greece"?

... Besides, if you can rationalise your absurd statement, do tell, how any one promoting Greece, would instantly be classed as a "racist" by your definitions ....

[paliometoxo]

if your turks then why are you in cyprus? whats wrong with turkey?

exactly turkey trying to make a turkey number 2 in cyprus for its stratigic position and to put all the bum's from turkey there.. no mention of we are cypriot.. its we are turks.. then the tcs complain that some of the gcs call them turks lol stupid mamma turkey

[zan]

Talat is a racist bigot, so what can you expect from footballers ...

“We want people to know we are Turks."

Shame ....

Coming from you, who goes around the internet promoting Greece, is just about as funny as it gets....

I've asked you before, and you slinked off without a reply ... where do I "go around the Internet promoting Greece"?

... Besides, if you can rationalise your absurd statement, do tell, how any one promoting Greece, would instantly be classed as a "racist" by your definitions ....

Can't say....I got told off last time!!!


Not my definition but yours...The same rules you applied to calling Talat one...Each and every action...and all that!!!

[Oracle]

Talat is a racist bigot, so what can you expect from footballers ...

“We want people to know we are Turks."

Shame ....

Coming from you, who goes around the internet promoting Greece, is just about as funny as it gets....

I've asked you before, and you slinked off without a reply ... where do I "go around the Internet promoting Greece"?

... Besides, if you can rationalise your absurd statement, do tell, how any one promoting Greece, would instantly be classed as a "racist" by your definitions ....

Can't say....I got told off last time!!!


Not my definition but yours...The same rules you applied to calling Talat one...Each and every action...and all that!!!

For a "politician" he is clearly a loose cannon with his verbal diatribe ... Still he has to make a mark before he is ousted.

I'll take it as an admital that you were talking out of your rear, as usual, about my "going around the Internet" .....

[zan]

Talat is a racist bigot, so what can you expect from footballers ...

“We want people to know we are Turks."

Shame ....

Coming from you, who goes around the internet promoting Greece, is just about as funny as it gets....

I've asked you before, and you slinked off without a reply ... where do I "go around the Internet promoting Greece"?

... Besides, if you can rationalise your absurd statement, do tell, how any one promoting Greece, would instantly be classed as a "racist" by your definitions ....

Can't say....I got told off last time!!!


Not my definition but yours...The same rules you applied to calling Talat one...Each and every action...and all that!!!

For a "politician" he is clearly a loose cannon with his verbal diatribe ... Still he has to make a mark before he is ousted.

I'll take it as an admital that you were talking out of your rear, as usual, about my "going around the Internet" .....

Was that you on Amazon Stella????Cant say anymore...I'm so bad!!!!


Where does the term "Racist" exclude all but politicians???

[miltiades]

Zan dont you think is time to join that new modern world you have been dreaming about !!
Come to think of it you are full of dreams , like recognition , the Orams getting of , the T/Cs joining you and your hate brigade , you have truly lost it mate give it up !!

[zan]

Zan dont you think is time to join that new modern world you have been dreaming about !!
Come to think of it you are full of dreams , like recognition , the Orams getting of , the T/Cs joining you and your hate brigade , you have truly lost it mate give it up !!

No hate Miltiades.....I have told you that before....I tell TCs off for hating GCs.....Not my style old chap...