FROM ZEROES TO HEROES OF FAIR PLAY

Hurriyet
Jan 14 2009
Turkey

ISTANBUL – Only a few years after hitting rock bottom, Turkey seems
to be on the path to clear its reputation in fair play. That view is
apparently marked by FIFA’s honoring Turkish and Armenian Football
Federations with the Fair Play Award for 2008. The progress is seen
as cautiously admirable by sports writers claiming that the return
game will be crucial.

In addition to achieving a flurry of miracles during matches, Turkish
football is now beating the odds off the pitch.

Making a name for itself for its never-say-die attitude and overcoming
all kinds of obstacles to become an unlikely semifinalist in the
European Football Championship last summer, Turkey won the hearts
of many football fans around the world. Now it is doing the same in
other aspects of the game. Say, fair play.

Honored with the FIFA Fair Play Award for 2008 on Monday, alongside
its Armenian counterpart, the Turkish Football Federation gave
signals the country was shaking off its horrible reputation in
fair play. Both Federations received the award "for their part in
encouraging dialogue between two countries which otherwise do not
have any form of diplomatic relationship," said the statement on the
Web site of the world football’s governing body.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul visited Yerevan on Sep. 6, 2008,
on the invitation of Armenian President Serge Sarkisian, in order
to attend the two countries’ encounter in a qualifier for the 2010
FIFA World Cup South Africa. The match, which was the first event to
bring together the two countries in a high-profile football event,
was played without any crowd trouble.

Coincidentally, Turkey received the award in Zurich, the largest city
of Switzerland, which is a country ringing the bells of some unpleasant
memories of the past. Turkey was slapped with heavy bans, including
playing games behind closed doors on neutral grounds, suspensions
of footballers and weighing fines after the Switzerland game at the
Å~^ukru Saracoglu Stadium on Nov. 2005. Some members of Turkish team
and staff attacked the Swiss players after the final whistle, which
meant missing out on the chance to qualify for the 2006 World Cup.

Turning point in Euro 2008

Some great performances in Euro 2008 followed by the Armenian game
have seemed to save Turkey from its embarrassingly low reputation.

"Turkey cleared its image in the last six months, for displaying
the entertaining side of the game," said Fırat Topal, a writer for
Hurriyet Spor weekly and the highly-popular Flying Dutchman blog
(). "I am sure all the football fans remembered
Tuncay Å~^anlı as the guy who had to replace the goalkeeper. Every
action that shatters the monotony reserves its place in the mind of
a football fan forever."

Topal thinks that Turkey and Armenia’s Fair Play Award is a result of
FIFA’s support of countries’ putting football over political problems.

"FIFA honors everyone who uses the game to unite countries politically
and socially," explained Topal. "For example, they closely watched the
Cuba-U.S. and Chad-Sudan games recently, hoping that the Turkey-Armenia
game mad a good example."

However, sports writer İbrahim Altınsay is not holding his breath
for Turkey’s record of fair play.

"We have to fix the way we are approaching football more than try to
correct our image," said Altınsay, focusing that the incidents in
the Switzerland game and the U21 match against Germany should not be
forgotten quickly. "That can only be if the ones who have the power
are willing to change themselves. Otherwise, the award comes and
goes without a trace." Altınsay added that Turkey did not deserve
the award as much as Armenia did.

"Turkey did not get the award, Turkey and Armenia did," said
Altınsay. "President Gul accepted the invitation, credit to Young
Civilians Movement, who was the first to suggest that Gul should go
to Armenia. Armenian people did the most of it, acting peacefully
in the game. But Turkey will have to deserve it in the return game
in October."

Topal agrees that the match Oct. 15 will be crucial.

"Any incident in that game will erase all the positive effects of this
progress, making Turkey look like an erratic country that always has
a risk of making trouble in football," stated Topal. "But at least
the Turkish fans learned to behave themselves in the international
games after the heavy bans, it is nice to see that awareness."

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