SBA stop football team from crossing to play Pyla team

[iancrumpy]

Source : http://www.gundemkibris.com/beyarmudu-s ... 50225h.htm

On arriving at the Pyla (or Pile) crossing this morning for their 10 am-start football match with Pyla the British SBA poliice told the officials of Tatlısu Seracılar Football Club that they would not allow players (with mainland parents) to cross. With apparently 20% of the Tatlısu team being as such (which I presume means 3 players), the club decided to turn the bus around and head back to Tatlısu.

Apparently this is the first time that the British police have stopped any teams from crossing there to play the Pyla team at the ground in the British-controlled base.

Both mayors of Pyla and Tatlısu Municipalities have condemned the actions of the British authorities.

Tatlısu mayor, Hayri Orçan, added that, just at a time when the football federations of the north and south were making positive developments in cooperation, this comes a major set-back.

Pyla mayor, İlker Edip, has suggested that UN officials should oversee the game on Monday or Tuesday ... though one would presume the match would still be on the British base.

Edip also said that he would do everthing in his power to allow matches to continue as before on their ground on the British base.

Apparently Prime Minister, Ersin Küçük, has commeted saying that the KKTC Foreign Ministry is closely following these development.

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All I can say it's a pity the ground isn't on the TC side of the crossing.

[LooseBoots]

Not exactly helping the political situation is it

[karmels]

The SBA police are not British, they are Cypriot mostly Greek.
This may explain their actions.
Only a few senior officers are British,

[philyesil]

Whether G/C or T/C police officers, they follow the order from above. i.e. the orders would have come from the senior officers who are usually British. As we all know, the Brit government dance to the G/C music.

[iancrumpy]

Phil, it would also seem to me that our southside friends have leaned on the British authorities to clamp down on such things. By the way, to clarify the situation, those born in North Cyprus, but with mainland parents, are classed as Turkish Cypriots in the north (and can indeed vote here), but are not allowed to cross to the south. Up until now, there has been what the report calls a "gentlemen's agreement" whereby the British have allowed such players through to play in Pyla, but it would now appear as if the British authorities are going to do things more by the book.

[philyesil]

Unfortunately for the North, this is the way Britain has treated the T/C's from the beginning of the troubles in the early 1960's. Even when things were out of control and terrible things were happening to the T/C, Britain chose to look the other way. Something that tends to happen often in history, as it did in the days of WW2 and the Jews. Politics has a nasty habit of only putting forward the side of the story that they want to support.
Slightly off topic Ian, have you read "the Genocide Files" by harry Scott Gibbons? It expalins the sort of things that happened to the T/C's in the 1960's right through to the intervention by Turkey.

Very interesting read.

[iancrumpy]

Have you read "the Genocide Files" by harry Scott Gibbons?

I've not Phil, but I will try to get my hands on a copy.

I have though heard many first-hand accounts of what happened - for example, of my Father-in-law's family that, in the early 60s, were forced to move from their village to a decrepit house in the TC's virtual ghetto in Lefkoşa. However, I am often astonished how he and other uncles-in-law of mine bear no real bitterness towards the GCs.

But as you said Phil, we are taking this thread off-topic. So getting back to the subject of the thread :

My Turkish Cypriot friend Yorgozlu has suggested that the British should never have allowed mainland players through in the first place. Then this action by the British authorities wouldn't have upset the TCs so much.

[philyesil]

Its a difficult one.
If you view it like that across the board then no football stars from other countries would be allowed to play in UK teams. Immigrants children in the UK wouldn't be allowed into UK teams either.

If someone settled here 20 or 30 years ago and had children who are raised here, what does that make them. It is a difficult one yes.
In the UK could you prohibit someone from Cyprus coming to play football there, I think not under EU rules and laws. If you tried to play that card, I think you would be slaughtered.
But in Cyprus, the EU laws aren't inforced as they should be.
Its a politcal mine field.

[iancrumpy]

It would appear as though the British authorities are determined to now carry out procedures at the crossing by the book.

Meanwhile, according to http://www.haberkktc.com/haber/pileye-c ... 58543.html , officials of the North Cyprus Football Federation will visit Pyla's Aydan Karahan Stadium on Thursday, where they intend to talk with club officials and villagers about the club's predicament.

[iancrumpy]

According to http://www.haberkktc.com/haber/ozgurgun ... 58625.html it turns out the 4th match official was also a mainlander.

Also in the report it writes that TRNC's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hüseyin Özgürgün, said they hope in the future to have matches played at the ground on the British base ... and to this effect they will meet with officials at the British High Commission.

[iancrumpy]

Source : http://www.haberkktc.com/haber/pilede-m ... 58719.html

Trying to keep you up-dated with this story:

According to TRNC's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hüseyin Özgürgün, the Deputy at the (northside) British High Commission yesterday evening apologised for the "misunderstanding" on Saturday morning, adding that it wouldn't happen again.

It is not written in the haberkktc report, but having TC in-laws that can read between the lines, it would seem that from now on clubs will probably have to submit names of any mainland players to the British authorities prior to any match at the ground on the British base.