A War on the Pitch…Football Hasn’t Seen a Game Quite Like This by Tom Head
However, I believe I could be forgiven for not focusing on APOEL this week. Cypriot football awaits a watershed moment, as we begrudgingly ‘welcome’ a Turkish team onto the island for the first time in six years. They could not be less welcome if they announced Robert Mugabe in their starting XI.
AEL Limassol take on Fenerbache, and I can assure you, forget everything you ever thought you knew about footballing rivalry… This game completely puts football in the shade. For those of you still bemused, here’s a quick history lesson I know you are dying to read:
In 1974, Turkish forces invaded Cyprus, acting unilaterally to claim the island, which is inherently Greek territory. Around 150,000 lives were lost in the ensuing conflict, which saw the Turkish breach an unjustifiable 14 European Convention of Human Rights Codes, and defy all UN sanctions against them.
The biggest insult, after the barbaric slaughter of the people and the devastation of the land, is that the Turkish military still occupy a third of the island. Forty years on, and a war crime of the most severe nature has gone relatively unpunished, and it is this frustrating lack of accountability that makes Cypriot and Turkish relations so incredibly tense.
There’s your backdrop; Thursday’s game will be played in a cauldron of molten contempt. The whole of Cyprus, and indeed, anyone aware of what atrocities Cyprus had to face, will understandably be Limassol fans, if only for one night. The scale of this mutual hatred is monumental, but one must admit, Cypriots certainly do have more of a right to feel aggrieved…
OK, in the name of fairness, I am going to be completely honest. I owe it to anyone who is reading to respect your integrity. I myself harbour a lot of disdain towards Turkey. I have my prejudices, as we all do. I have never been a man to tar a certain set of people with one brush, but at the same time, I have never been so riled by a political situation. Family of friends were brutally murdered, so forgiveness has been hard to come by.
I honestly do not know what to expect, in regards to the crowd, policing, the game itself and the behaviour and mentality of the players… This sort of sheer exposure to a sworn enemy is the sort of ferocity you would not expect to find even in the most violent clashes, of the most fiery rivalries. It is a fixture of the highest imaginable emotional intensity, and an AEL win could certainly pull a few of my heartstrings. Admittedly though, I have been known to be ‘emotionally incontinent’ in the past.
The Turkish representatives are the big, successful side looking to impose themselves onto the small islanders. The Cypriots will have to fight against all odds to stop what is sure to be an onslaught. Though intimidation and fear will be the visitor’s plans, the natives will be confident of holding on to whatever they can, in the hope they will remain strong in the face of adversity.
Bloody hell… It’s 1974, all over again.
Indeed, the symbolism that hangs over this game, like the unwanted storm cloud in a British summer, seems to trivialise everything about football. My main fear is that these malevolent passions will spill over into something more sinister than just tribal warfare in the stands. 1400 Turkish Cypriots will be at the game (moved to Nicosia), and I am not entirely sure how interested Cypriot police will be in ‘protecting the best interests’ of the Turkish contingent.
Last week was an ugly one for football; Serbians and ‘that’ Leeds fan alike, we have seen a side of the game we would like to thoroughly oppress. Anyone going to the GSP Stadium this Thursday, I implore you, please keep a cool head. We need to see some unity and sensibility in the stands, and if… IF the Cypriots come away from this game, and not one deplorable incident happens, we can hold our heads high, beaming with pride (yes, I also class myself as Cypriot. I classed myself as an astronaut when I was six, it’s a bit like that).
So I end this, after pouring my heart, soul, and better judgement into it, by praying for peace. I know that we are all still seeking justice for the horror of Turkish occupation, but I want to see no more bloodshed on this fair island. Once we start trying to make our own justice through vigilante behaviour, we stoop to a level I wouldn’t associate Greek Cypriots with. Such a proud people should not descend into such a primitive culture.
We know that Cyprus is Greek, and Proud. I hope we can keep it this way.
Tom Head (112)
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