Turkish Cypriot politicians evaluate the effort for unifying the Cypriot football

Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper (30.10.13) publishes an evaluation by Turkish Cypriot politicians of the meeting of the 5th of November in Zurich between the Cyprus Football Association (CFA or KOP) and the Turkish Cypriot so-called football federation at the presence of FIFA and UEFA. 

The paper reports that Ozdil Nami, self-styled minister of foreign affairs of the breakaway regime, said that they do not know what formula will come up and expressed their faith in the administration of their so-called federation. He noted that the “federation” consulted with his self-styled ministry, which explained to them the formula created in order to secure the Turkish Cypriot participation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Nami said that they are approaching positively any initiative in which the “balance of political equality” will not be spoiled, the one side will not dominate over the other, the two sides will come closer to each other and the Turkish Cypriot football will open to the world. He expressed the view that such agreement will positively influence the meetings between the community leaders.

Huseyin Ozgurgun, chairman of the National Unity Party (UBP) said that his party will have no objection, if the Turkish Cypriot “federation” cooperates with the CFA and matches are played both in the government-controlled area and in the occupied part of the island and if in this sense the activities of the so-called Turkish Cypriot federation are held in the international arena. If the Turkish Cypriot “federation” holds its activities under the CFA, “this is something we oppose to”, he added.

Mehmet Cakici, chairman of the Social Democracy Party (TDP), said that this meeting must end positively and recalled that his party supported such a result when the issue had come onto the agenda in 2008. He noted, inter alia, the following: “In the 1960 Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus, the sports, education and health had been left to the administration of the communities. If we had established a football federation then, these problems would not have been experienced today. When we abandoned the Republic in 1964, these rights we had, were abolished. According to the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus, the Turkish Cypriots have rights in the Football Federation of the Republic of Cyprus. Therefore, we have to use this period as transitional period until an agreement is reached”.