Levant News – the Fenerbahçe v AEL Limassol Europa League football game on 8th November 2012 is likely to be a tense event. This is the first time the Turkish team will play a Cypriot team. Already, the build up to the game has been fraught with problems. The Fenerbahçe team’s Turkish players are not allowed to cross into the south from North Cyprus so the team has to be flown to Rhodes and then, after a few hours wait, onto Larnaca.
If past events between Turkish and Cypriot sports teams are anything to go by, the football match will most certainly involve violence to the Turkish team and undoubtedly there will be a risk of incidents of racism which EUFA will be unable to ignore, considering the current climate against racism. Last year, the Galatasaray women’s volleyball team had objects thrown at them during a game with Apollon Limassol, as did Pınar Karşıyaka men’s basketball team during a match against APOEL.
Another issue is the matter of national flags. The south’s authorities have banned the appearance of TRNC flags but have accepted that Cypriot fans can wave Greek flags. They argue that because Greece is a EUFA-affiliated country, even though they have nothing to do with the match, their presence is acceptable.
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