By Andrew Warshaw
December 4 – Significant strides have been made to bridge the footballing divide in Cyprus following breakthrough talks between Greek and Turkish representatives – the first since early 2008.
Last month, a Turkish Cypriot delegation held informal discussions in Limassol with Cyprus Football Association (CFA) officials at which both parties “exchanged views and ideas”.
That led to a landmark decision to meet formally in Nicosia on December 11, considered pivotal in improving relations between the two sides.
Ever since the Turkish occupation of northern Cyprus, the breakaway half of the Mediterranean island has been left in footballing limbo.
Although northern Cyprus has a local league of 48 clubs playing in four divisions, neither the clubs nor the national federation is recognised by FIFA or UEFA for official competitions and can only play in minor tournaments or events organised by friendly states.
Four years ago, FIFA began a series of talks to try to reunite the two sides but these ultimately broke down.
But with a general thawing of political divisions, football is now reaping the benefits with both federations agreeing to next week’s historic discussions, which will be watched, with interest not only by Greece and Turkey but also by both major governing bodies.
In a hugely symbolic gesture, CFA President Costakis Koutsokoumnis (pictured above), born in the north of the island, visited his home city of Morphou (Lefke in Turkish) last weekend including a trip to local club Lefke TSK.
The December 11 meeting will be at the headquarters of the CFA, a significant statement in terms of increasing conciliation between the two sides.
“We will find a solution for football in Cyprus that is not influenced by political issues,” said Hasan Sertoğlu, President of the Cyprus Turkish Football Federation.
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