From zeroes to heroes of fair play
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Cetin Cem Yilmaz
OluÅŸturulma Tarihi: Ocak 14, 2009 00:00
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.Â
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 Gül 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 Şükrü Saracoğlu 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 Hürriyet Spor weekly and the highly-popular Flying Dutchman blog (www.footballiswar.com). "I am sure all the football fans remembered Tuncay Şanlı 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 Gül accepted the invitation, credit to Young Civilians Movement, who was the first to suggest that Gül 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."
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 Gül 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 Şükrü Saracoğlu 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 Hürriyet Spor weekly and the highly-popular Flying Dutchman blog (www.footballiswar.com). "I am sure all the football fans remembered Tuncay Şanlı 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 Gül accepted the invitation, credit to Young Civilians Movement, who was the first to suggest that Gül 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."