In a world where half the countries just want to get on with each other peacefully and the other half are quite happy being peaceful on their own, football can always be guaranteed to disrupt and maintain the status quo in equal quantities.
Take the qualifying competition for the FIFA 2010 World Cup. Among its hundreds of planned fixtures, you'll find the one between Sudan and Chad that's been postponed indefinitely because the two teams are on the brink of war and the one between North and South Korea who have had, let's say, an uneasy relationship over the years.
Yet last weekend, two teams came together that had never met in a full international match despite sharing a border with each other - a border that has remained closed since 1993 due to numerous political disagreements and a chapter in history that remains an open wound for millions of people to this day.
The match took place in Yerevan last Saturday, where Armenia played Turkey in a European Group 5 tie. Since the early part of the 20th century, relations between the two have been volatile following the alleged attempt by the Ottoman Empire's 'Young Turk' government to exterminate two million Turkish Armenians who'd been seeking greater independence.
By 1923, it's said that 1.5 million Armenians had perished in massacres, on death marches and in concentration camps. Turkey claims that up to half a million Turks and Armenians died in civil conflict and insists there was no genocide - a claim contradicted by Armenia and a growing number of other countries.
There's also the issue of Armenia's occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh, an area which officially falls within the boundaries of Azerbaijan which the Azerbaijanis (with Turkey's backing) oppose.
Both nations have maintained a resolute stand-off ever since the Armenia-Turkey border was closed by the latter fifteen years ago. Since then, Armenia has been forced to conduct its international trade via Georgia, which has recently been involved in a conflict of its own with Russia, as well as Iran.
It therefore seems an appropriate time for Armenia to be open towards a new era of open dialogue with their Turkish neighbours as the two countries seek a peaceful future together. That era appeared to begin on Saturday when Turkey's President, Abdullah Gul, attended the World Cup qualifier in Yerevan at the invitation of his Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sargsyan.
It was the first time a Turkish head of state had visited Armenia, and understandably his transit from the airport to the Hrazdan Stadium was greeted by hundreds of protestors holding banners with messages such as "Turkey admit your guilt" and "1915 never again".
On arrival at the stadium, the two Presidents took their place in an executive box protected by bullet-proof glass where handshakes were exchanged in acknowledgment of the landmark event. They shared the stadium with 35,000 Armenian fans - most, if not all of whom booed the Turkish national anthem - and around 200 Turkish supporters who were segregated from the rest of the crowd and were heavily guarded by Armenian police.
The result of the game was largely a foregone conclusion - Turkey, ranked tenth in the world, beating 98th-placed Armenia 2-0 - but the fact that both Presidents had even met in the first place suggests something more significant had been achieved here. A first step had been made on the long road to a more peaceful relationship between Turkey and Armenia and the heads of both nations, plus observers from afar, seem grateful for that.
"I was happy to see that we were unanimous with the Armenian side on the need for mutual dialogue to remove barriers to improving bilateral ties" said President Gul. "I underlined that there is no problem that dialogue cannot solve" he added after talks with his counterpart.
President Sargsyan said that there was "a political will to decide the questions between our countries so that these problems are not passed onto the next generation."
Politicians from both sides are now expected to discuss ways of resolving the long-running conflict and strengthen economic ties between Turkey, Armenia, Georgia, Russia and Azerbaijan. A proposal has also been put forward to set up a commission of unbiased historians to examine the murders of Armenians in 1915.
With President Sargsyan invited to attend the return World Cup qualifier in Ankara next year, an uneasy and tentative air of goodwill now prevails over these two countries. No-one is expecting to put the events of the past to one side as they strive for better relations, but thanks to the involvement of football as a diplomatic conduit, the future may now be a little brighter for all concerned.
Showing posts with label Turkey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Turkey. Show all posts
Wednesday, 10 September 2008
Saturday, 5 July 2008
Is Turkey quickly becoming a powerhouse?
They have performed well in the last two tournaments that they've featured in but are Turkey on the verge of becoming the next great football league in Europe?
The Turks amazed many to reach the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea - going on to claim third place over South Korea in a play-off - and then went on to secure another semi-final spot in last month's Euro 2008 and have been enticing many big names to join their league in the process.
Already at the top clubs in the Tukcell Super league before this Summer were the likes of Roberto Carlos, Mateja Kezman, Edouard Cisse, Colin Kazim-Richards, Tomas Sivok and Tobias Linderoth with former World Cup winner Zico managing at Fenerbache. Their recent record in European competition has been rather impressive given the apparent lack of depth in their league with Galatasaray claiming the UEFA Cup in 2000 and Fenerbache reaching the last eight of the Champions League last season.
It can hardly be said that the league hasn't produced teams which can compete at the highest level but it is only recently that the likes of the aforementioned players have made the move across Europe to the very edge of the continent itself in order to ply their trade and it is likely that the Turkish league will feature heavily in football betting in the future.
This may have something to do with the exploits of the national team or it may be down to the influx of money from foreign ownership sponsorship rising in the league. It could be a mixture of the two but what is certain is that we are in the midst of the Turkcell Super League gaining not only in exposure but also in credibility.
On the 5th July Galatasaray announced the signing of Harry Kewell from Liverpool on a free transfer and although this now ends the possibility of the former Leeds winger being named as one of Australia’s over-aged players for the Olympics this Summer, the Aussie obviously believes that a move to Turkey is the right move in his career. After signing for the domestic Champions Kewell said of the league:
"There's a lot of talk about the Turkish league, it's coming up in the world. The national team has done well in the last couple of international tournaments and there's a lot of young talent here"
And the 28-year-old is not the only one who believe this. Someone much older has also made the move to Istanbul.
Newly crowned Euro 2008 winning coach Luis Aragones has been named as Zico’s replacement after the former Brazil international left the club earlier this Summer. What is interesting about the move is that the 69-year-old in theory could have chosen any club in Europe to manage given his new found credentials yet he, like Kewell chose to open a new chapter in his career where West meets East.
Aragones said of his two-year contract with the national league runners-up, "I am here both with my brain and heart to work for Fenerbahce."
"I know I have come to a good and strong team. I can tell you that I am very happy to be here. This season we want to win every possible title."
Many critics will say that the likes of Kewell, Kezman and Carlos - who are heading very quickly into the dying embers of their careers - signing for Turkish sides proves that the league is a graveyard for former stars but the appointment of Aragones, fresh from European success will go a long way to quashing their statements.
These two are the latest in a trend to make the move to the very Eastern point of Europe and at this rate you can bet their international side will improve further still and the likes of England, Spain and Italy must keep one eye on a league which appears to be slowly building up to something which should be taken very seriously indeed.
The Turks amazed many to reach the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea - going on to claim third place over South Korea in a play-off - and then went on to secure another semi-final spot in last month's Euro 2008 and have been enticing many big names to join their league in the process.
Already at the top clubs in the Tukcell Super league before this Summer were the likes of Roberto Carlos, Mateja Kezman, Edouard Cisse, Colin Kazim-Richards, Tomas Sivok and Tobias Linderoth with former World Cup winner Zico managing at Fenerbache. Their recent record in European competition has been rather impressive given the apparent lack of depth in their league with Galatasaray claiming the UEFA Cup in 2000 and Fenerbache reaching the last eight of the Champions League last season.
It can hardly be said that the league hasn't produced teams which can compete at the highest level but it is only recently that the likes of the aforementioned players have made the move across Europe to the very edge of the continent itself in order to ply their trade and it is likely that the Turkish league will feature heavily in football betting in the future.
This may have something to do with the exploits of the national team or it may be down to the influx of money from foreign ownership sponsorship rising in the league. It could be a mixture of the two but what is certain is that we are in the midst of the Turkcell Super League gaining not only in exposure but also in credibility.
On the 5th July Galatasaray announced the signing of Harry Kewell from Liverpool on a free transfer and although this now ends the possibility of the former Leeds winger being named as one of Australia’s over-aged players for the Olympics this Summer, the Aussie obviously believes that a move to Turkey is the right move in his career. After signing for the domestic Champions Kewell said of the league:
"There's a lot of talk about the Turkish league, it's coming up in the world. The national team has done well in the last couple of international tournaments and there's a lot of young talent here"
And the 28-year-old is not the only one who believe this. Someone much older has also made the move to Istanbul.
Newly crowned Euro 2008 winning coach Luis Aragones has been named as Zico’s replacement after the former Brazil international left the club earlier this Summer. What is interesting about the move is that the 69-year-old in theory could have chosen any club in Europe to manage given his new found credentials yet he, like Kewell chose to open a new chapter in his career where West meets East.
Aragones said of his two-year contract with the national league runners-up, "I am here both with my brain and heart to work for Fenerbahce."
"I know I have come to a good and strong team. I can tell you that I am very happy to be here. This season we want to win every possible title."
Many critics will say that the likes of Kewell, Kezman and Carlos - who are heading very quickly into the dying embers of their careers - signing for Turkish sides proves that the league is a graveyard for former stars but the appointment of Aragones, fresh from European success will go a long way to quashing their statements.
These two are the latest in a trend to make the move to the very Eastern point of Europe and at this rate you can bet their international side will improve further still and the likes of England, Spain and Italy must keep one eye on a league which appears to be slowly building up to something which should be taken very seriously indeed.
Wednesday, 4 June 2008
Guide to Euro 2008: Group A
Surely now even the most disinterested of you must be warming a little bit towards the upcoming European Championships which begin on Saturday… aren't you? Yes, the start of the competition is no longer looming on the horizon - it's at the end of your street waiting for a bus and it'll be here before you know it, so let's get cracking with our guide to the four First Round groups.
As you'll know by now, we don't like to waffle on about stuff when there's no need to, and our First Round Group Guide is no exception. We think you want to be told the salient facts that are of most importance without all the unnecessary lecturing, so that's how we're going to go about our business.
To that end, we give you the essential 'need to know' on Euro 2008 Group A.
Group A
Czech Republic
Qualifying
The Czech Republic finished top of Group D with only one defeat in twelve which was against group runners-up Germany. Their top goalscorer was Jan Koller with 6 goals.
Star Talent
Much to choose from. There's Jan Koller (left), nearing the end of his career but still banging the goals in, Chelsea's star goalkeeper Petr Cech and Portsmouth's Milan Baros. And that's without mentioning the likes of David Rozehnal and Marek Jankulowski.
Players you won't be seeing
Arsenal's Tomas Rosicky's injured, so he'll be absent from the midfield. In case you've not noticed, Pavel Nedved, Vladimir Smicer and Karel Poborsky no longer play for the national team, so expect to see a team full of young and upcoming stars during Euro 2008.
Don't mention…
The scandal back in March 2007 which almost forced coach Karel Bruchner to resign. A tabloid journalist managed to sneak into the birthday party of Tomas Ujfalusi at the team hotel and discovered the birthday boy, Tomas Rosicky and three other players in a room with six alleged prostitutes. Bruchner took a deep breath, fined the squad and decided to lumber on as best he could.
Recent friendlies
March 26: Denmark 1 Czech Republic 1
May 27: Czech Republic 2 Lithuania 0
May 30: Czech Republic 3 Scotland 1
SPAOTP's Top Tip For Greatness
Petr Cech. If the Czechs end up in a penalty shoot-out, he could be the man to perform some heroics.
Portugal
Qualifying
Portugal ended Group A as runners-up only a point away from winners Poland, but only three ahead of chasing Serbia and Finland. For the slightly erratic nature of their form, they did at least have eight goals from Cristiano Ronaldo to fall back on.
Current Form
At best, erratic - at worst, poor. Defeats against Italy and Greece since the start of the year and a narrow victory over Georgia puts Portugal in one of their biggest slumps since the 2002 World Cup. Even in qualifying, they couldn't beat Poland, Serbia or Finland at home or away. They'll need to buck their ideas up in no uncertain terms.
Players you won't be seeing
Forget Figo, Costinha and Pauleta - they're all history now. As for Jorge Andrade, he's desperately trying to save his career due to a knee injury that's kept him out of a second successive major tournament.
Recent friendlies
February 2: Italy 3 Portugal 1
March 26: Portugal 1 Greece 2
May 31: Portugal 2 Georgia 1
Watch out for…
Jose Bosingwa, Chelsea's new right back, signed recently for £16 million (if the tabloids are anything to be believed) plus, of course Mr. C. Ronaldo of Manchester.
SPAOTP's Top Tip For Greatness
Ricardo Quaresma (left). A creative, skilful winger who has a touch of the loose cannon about him (hence his omission from Portugal's 2006 World Cup squad), he should now be given free reign to show the full range of his talent.
Turkey
Qualifying
Turkey, it has to be said, only just scraped into second place in qualifying Group C. They finished seven whole points behind group winners Greece and were only a point ahead of Norway in the end. Hakan Sukur pitched in with five goals as Turkey's top scorer during the qualifiers.
Recent friendlies
May 20: Turkey 1 Slovakia 0
May 25: Turkey 2 Uruguay 3
May 29: Finland 0 Turkey 2
Players you might have heard of
If you're not too well read on the Turkish squad, you should at least have heard of two of its number plying their trade in the Premier League. There's Newcastle United's midfielder Emre Belozoglu, a veteran of more than 50 caps, not to mention Middlesbrough's Tuncay Sanli, a striker who also has plenty of appearances to his name.
Kit check
It's nice to see Turkey return to that tried and trusted design of red shirts with a white band across the middle. It's stylish, it's different and more than anything else, it brings back memories of the two occasions when England beat Turkey 8-0 during the 1980's.
Nicknames
The Turks love 'em. Coach Faith Terim is known as 'The Emperor', Villareal's fans call Nihat Kahveci 'El Turco' and when Emre Belözoğlu was at Inter Milan he was known as 'The Maradona of the Bosphorus'. Such fun…
SPAOTP's Top Tip For Greatness
Nihat Kahveci, Villareal's 28 year-old striker. He's fast, technically gifted and easily capable of sharing the limelight with his strike partner, Tuncay.
Switzerland
Qualifying
As co-hosts, Switzerland didn't have to concern themselves with the qualifying procedure. They therefore had to contend with alternative opposition for their preparations, including Austria who, strangely, were also available.
Players you might have heard of
Apart from the aforementioned Arsenal pair, there's also Gelson Fernandes (right). He's the Manchester City midfielder who this season played 26 times in the Premier League and even managed to score in City's 3-1 defeat at home to Arsenal. He also picked up six yellow cards during the season, so discipline may be an issue in a competition where suspension needs to be avoided at all costs.
Recent friendlies
November 20: Switzerland 0 Nigeria 1
February 6: England 2 Switzerland 1
March 26: Switzerland 0 Germany 4
Good points, bad points
Thanks to Arsenal's contribution to the squad, Switzerland can be grateful for having a strong defence. Philippe Senderos and Johan Djourou provide the backbone of the back four along with Borussia Dortmund's Philipp Degen and Ludovic Magnin.
Sadly for the Swiss, consistency is a big problem. Over the last year or so, they've lost to Germany but drew against Argentina, they've beaten the Netherlands and lost to the United States. You never quite know which Swiss team will turn up…
Playing style
Don't expect Switzerland to attack at will. Due to their reliable defence, they're likely to sit back and absorb the pressure before counter-attacking… the only thing is, they have no strikers who have a useful turn of pace to rely on. Have they thought this through?
SPAOTP's Top Tip For Greatness
Bayer Leverkusen's Tranquillo Barnetta. Possibly Switzerland's most important player, he's quick, a great team player and a lynchpin for everything the team creates. And he can score goals too.
As you'll know by now, we don't like to waffle on about stuff when there's no need to, and our First Round Group Guide is no exception. We think you want to be told the salient facts that are of most importance without all the unnecessary lecturing, so that's how we're going to go about our business.
To that end, we give you the essential 'need to know' on Euro 2008 Group A.
Group A
Czech Republic
Qualifying
The Czech Republic finished top of Group D with only one defeat in twelve which was against group runners-up Germany. Their top goalscorer was Jan Koller with 6 goals.
Star Talent
Much to choose from. There's Jan Koller (left), nearing the end of his career but still banging the goals in, Chelsea's star goalkeeper Petr Cech and Portsmouth's Milan Baros. And that's without mentioning the likes of David Rozehnal and Marek Jankulowski.
Players you won't be seeing
Arsenal's Tomas Rosicky's injured, so he'll be absent from the midfield. In case you've not noticed, Pavel Nedved, Vladimir Smicer and Karel Poborsky no longer play for the national team, so expect to see a team full of young and upcoming stars during Euro 2008.
Don't mention…
The scandal back in March 2007 which almost forced coach Karel Bruchner to resign. A tabloid journalist managed to sneak into the birthday party of Tomas Ujfalusi at the team hotel and discovered the birthday boy, Tomas Rosicky and three other players in a room with six alleged prostitutes. Bruchner took a deep breath, fined the squad and decided to lumber on as best he could.
Recent friendlies
March 26: Denmark 1 Czech Republic 1
May 27: Czech Republic 2 Lithuania 0
May 30: Czech Republic 3 Scotland 1
SPAOTP's Top Tip For Greatness
Petr Cech. If the Czechs end up in a penalty shoot-out, he could be the man to perform some heroics.
Portugal
Qualifying
Portugal ended Group A as runners-up only a point away from winners Poland, but only three ahead of chasing Serbia and Finland. For the slightly erratic nature of their form, they did at least have eight goals from Cristiano Ronaldo to fall back on.
Current Form
At best, erratic - at worst, poor. Defeats against Italy and Greece since the start of the year and a narrow victory over Georgia puts Portugal in one of their biggest slumps since the 2002 World Cup. Even in qualifying, they couldn't beat Poland, Serbia or Finland at home or away. They'll need to buck their ideas up in no uncertain terms.
Players you won't be seeing
Forget Figo, Costinha and Pauleta - they're all history now. As for Jorge Andrade, he's desperately trying to save his career due to a knee injury that's kept him out of a second successive major tournament.
Recent friendlies
February 2: Italy 3 Portugal 1
March 26: Portugal 1 Greece 2
May 31: Portugal 2 Georgia 1
Watch out for…
Jose Bosingwa, Chelsea's new right back, signed recently for £16 million (if the tabloids are anything to be believed) plus, of course Mr. C. Ronaldo of Manchester.
SPAOTP's Top Tip For Greatness
Ricardo Quaresma (left). A creative, skilful winger who has a touch of the loose cannon about him (hence his omission from Portugal's 2006 World Cup squad), he should now be given free reign to show the full range of his talent.
Turkey
Qualifying
Turkey, it has to be said, only just scraped into second place in qualifying Group C. They finished seven whole points behind group winners Greece and were only a point ahead of Norway in the end. Hakan Sukur pitched in with five goals as Turkey's top scorer during the qualifiers.
Recent friendlies
May 20: Turkey 1 Slovakia 0
May 25: Turkey 2 Uruguay 3
May 29: Finland 0 Turkey 2
Players you might have heard of
If you're not too well read on the Turkish squad, you should at least have heard of two of its number plying their trade in the Premier League. There's Newcastle United's midfielder Emre Belozoglu, a veteran of more than 50 caps, not to mention Middlesbrough's Tuncay Sanli, a striker who also has plenty of appearances to his name.
Kit check
It's nice to see Turkey return to that tried and trusted design of red shirts with a white band across the middle. It's stylish, it's different and more than anything else, it brings back memories of the two occasions when England beat Turkey 8-0 during the 1980's.Nicknames
The Turks love 'em. Coach Faith Terim is known as 'The Emperor', Villareal's fans call Nihat Kahveci 'El Turco' and when Emre Belözoğlu was at Inter Milan he was known as 'The Maradona of the Bosphorus'. Such fun…
SPAOTP's Top Tip For Greatness
Nihat Kahveci, Villareal's 28 year-old striker. He's fast, technically gifted and easily capable of sharing the limelight with his strike partner, Tuncay.
Switzerland
Qualifying
As co-hosts, Switzerland didn't have to concern themselves with the qualifying procedure. They therefore had to contend with alternative opposition for their preparations, including Austria who, strangely, were also available.
Players you might have heard of
Apart from the aforementioned Arsenal pair, there's also Gelson Fernandes (right). He's the Manchester City midfielder who this season played 26 times in the Premier League and even managed to score in City's 3-1 defeat at home to Arsenal. He also picked up six yellow cards during the season, so discipline may be an issue in a competition where suspension needs to be avoided at all costs.
Recent friendlies
November 20: Switzerland 0 Nigeria 1
February 6: England 2 Switzerland 1
March 26: Switzerland 0 Germany 4
Good points, bad points
Thanks to Arsenal's contribution to the squad, Switzerland can be grateful for having a strong defence. Philippe Senderos and Johan Djourou provide the backbone of the back four along with Borussia Dortmund's Philipp Degen and Ludovic Magnin.
Sadly for the Swiss, consistency is a big problem. Over the last year or so, they've lost to Germany but drew against Argentina, they've beaten the Netherlands and lost to the United States. You never quite know which Swiss team will turn up…
Playing style
Don't expect Switzerland to attack at will. Due to their reliable defence, they're likely to sit back and absorb the pressure before counter-attacking… the only thing is, they have no strikers who have a useful turn of pace to rely on. Have they thought this through?
SPAOTP's Top Tip For Greatness
Bayer Leverkusen's Tranquillo Barnetta. Possibly Switzerland's most important player, he's quick, a great team player and a lynchpin for everything the team creates. And he can score goals too.
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