Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Sept 6 2008

Everything to play for, Armenia hosts Turkey

In the buildup to the 2010 World Cup qualifying Group Five game
between Armenia and Turkey in Yerevan this evening, there was plenty
of talk about how sports and politics do not mix, talk about
friendship, rapprochement and unthawing relations.

Reason and common sense say sports and politics are two separate
entities and should remain that way. But it has not been so throughout
history, especially in soccer, which at times can be a very
politically sensitive issue. The reason being that the emphasis
nations and fans put on winning is so enormous that losing is what
they do not expect, nay accept. Every fan believes that if his team
wins that victory is his as well, because each fan identifies himself
with the team.

Hence the political and sports leaders of both Turkey and Armenia have
been working very hard, ever since the 2010 World Cup qualifying draw
was made, to ensure that friendship and common sense prevail in this
evening’s game.

President Abdullah Gül flew to Armenia on Friday for this match
in a major diplomatic step for the two states with no diplomatic
ties. Turkey broke diplomatic relations with Armenia in protest of
Yerevan’s control of the Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh region, over
which Armenia fought Turkish ally Azerbaijan in a war in the 1990s.

The Turkish national team, coaches and officials also flew to Armenia
on Friday. Turkey coach Fatih Terim held a press conference to respond
to questions on the political importance of today’s game and the
pressure to win due to national pride and prestige. "This is not a
war; quite the contrary, it is a sport. We are going to Armenia for a
soccer match, that is it," he said.

"Soccer is a fast game, politics is very heavy. If we think about
anything else, it will slow down our game. Armenia is always a very
tough opponent at home. There will be 50,000 fans at the stadium and I
think it will be hostile and intimidating atmosphere. But our players,
my players, are experienced and of good quality, so we aim to garner
12 maximum points in the next four matches," Terim added.

Turkey, the 2002 World Cup semifinalist and also the Euro 2008
semifinalist in June, is more experienced than Armenia and is used to
playing under pressure. Terim is very likely to capitalize on this as
he is determined to start his 2010 qualifying campaign on a winning
note.

With keeper Volkan Demirel (Fenerbahçe) in goal; Gökhan
Gönül (Fenerbahçe), Servet �etin
(Galatasaray), Gökhan Zan (BeÅ?iktaÅ?) and Hakan
Kadir Balta (Galatasaray) at the back; Kazım Kazım
(Fenerbahçe) and Arda Turan (Galatasaray) on the flanks; Mehmet
Aurelio (Real Betis) and Mehmet Topal (Galatasaray) in central
midfield; and Semih Å?entürk (Fenerbahçe) and
Tuncay Å?anlı (Middlesbrough) upfront, Terim’s side is
capable of taking Europe’s best, let alone Armenia. But surprises
abound in soccer and so deductive reasoning has no place in the
beautiful game.

To prove the importance Terim attaches to this evening’s match,
training sessions in Ä°stanbul on Thursday were held behind
closed doors, meaning the Turkey coach wants his game plan and tactics
to remain secret.

Terim’s opposite number, Jan Poulsen, also echoed the Turkish coach’s
plea for common sense. But the Armenian trainer also added that
Armenia has a good team and Armenian soccer has a great future —
maybe, just maybe, a euphemism for "we can give any opponent as much
as we get."

In a nutshell, there is much more to the "beautiful game" than 22
players kicking a piece of leather around a grass field or synthetic
turf. So much is at stake in the Armenia-Turkey clash today —
nationalistic fervor, rivalry, precious points, pride, prestige,
history, bragging rights, you name it.

But as Terim warned, this is only a soccer match, not a war. And this
is not the last time Turkey and Armenia will be playing as long as
they continue competing in Europe; in fact, there is still a Turkey
leg to play for.

In civilized Europe, it is unthinkable for nations to go to war over
soccer. For the record, though, this happened in Central America. On
July 14, 1969, Honduras and El Salvador went to war. The 100-hour war
claimed 6,000 lives, 12,000 were wounded and 50,000 people were
rendered homeless. The cause was ostensibly the World Cup qualifying
matches for Mexico ’70 between Honduras and El Salvador.

On this note we urge the Armenians to show the utmost hospitality and
respect to the Turks this evening and we promise they will receive a
red-carpet reception when they come to Turkey. The other teams in
Group Five are Spain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium and Estonia.

Live on TRT 1
18:55 Armenia ` Turkey

06 September 2008, Saturday
OKAN UDO BASSEY Ä°STANBUL