Regardless if the game is played in Istanbul or Yerevan, fervent nationalists on both sides are likely to make this historic match-up a difficult one for the players on the field, the referees and perhaps even-if the game is played in Istanbul- the simit (pretzel) vendors.
Ironically, I found out about the game though Armenian-American activist/journalist Appo Jabbarian, a person I get along with pretty well considering how..........I think I need a bottle of raki*:)
According to Jabbarian***- whose name I hope I spelled right, so I don't inadvertently start World War III, Turkey will face Armenia in qualifying for the 2012 World Cup in South Africa, which Turkey attempted to host as well.
Turkey and Armenia will be in Group 5 along with traditional powers Spain and Belgium. The other teams in the group include Estonia and Bosnia-Herzegovinia.
Turkey has been up and down in EuroCup qualifiers. They lost to traditional rival Greece 1-0 in Istanbul, but the team turned around with a resounding win over Norway. The most historic moment in Turkish international soccer was a victory over Japan for a stunning third place finish in the 2002 World Cup. That team consisted of international superstars Hakan Sukur and Hasan Sas.
According to Jabbarian, Armenia has had its own recent ups and downs as well. Armenia won a game on the road over Kazakhstan- the country Borat put on the map, and they also defeated Poland 1-0 in the Armenian capital of Yerevan. But, the team lost to Belgium_ the country that the rest of the world (except the US) knows as the home of beloved comic book character Tintin. I personally think a Turkey-Armenia game could be competitive- especially if played in Yerevan, though even folks who would be more objective than me would also likely expect Turkey to win.
I hope Jabbarian shares my view that many of us reasonable people want to distance ourselves from radicals who use soccer bulletin boards on the internet to post needless hate messages. I saw some on a Greek soccer site, which sickened me- one poster basically said Turkey was a backward country, undeserving of being a World Cup host. But, I have also witnessed a Turkish hacker doing something similar to Armenian soccer site.
I once read such a message from an Armenian militant who expressed joy over the Turkish earthquake of 1999 on a BBC message board. But, despite our different views on many matters, I know Jabbarian would never stoop to such depths as Iwouldnot as well. In each case- regardless if it is a Turk, a Greek or an Armenian, it is simply sad to see people, who might very well be grown men, acting like pathetic teenage boys.
Of course, not all animosity of this nature involves ethnic political spats. Traditional Istanbul powers GalataSaray and Fenerbahce play tomorrow. I'm sure my friend Bahadir Acuner from Seattle, an FB fan, will let me know if my beloved GS** loses the game, which should be over by 2:30 p.m., Eastern time. Conversely, he will probably send me a virus if we win!
*- Raki is the Turkish equivalent of the Greek alcoholic beverage Ouzo. One should drink neither if they are nursing a baby, taking Prozac or while watching a soccer game with Bahadir Acuner.
**- I do have friends who root for GalataSaray including Volkan Ozdemir from the Raleigh, NC-area. One of my other friends Ugur Celikkol maintains a fan club for the soccer team BursaSpor in Bursa, Turkey. Alas, they lost to the other Istanbul Besiktash 1-0 today.
***- Yikes! I did in fact misspell Appo Jabarian's last name by accident. I decided not to change it as the mistake actually makes the entry more humorous- even if it does start World War III.........
Useful Links:
http://www.turkish-soccer.com
I tried to find a site for Armenian soccer, but I was unable to locate one. However, I can refer one to Appo Jabbarian's web site even though I respectfully disagree with many viewpoints concerning Turkey that are presented in his publication, "USA Armenian Life." But, both of us love the game of soccer, though I must admit Appo follows it closer than me. In fact, it would not completely shock me if Jabbarian knew the final score of the GS-FB game before I did!
http://www.usaarmenianlife.com
PS- Alas, Fenerbahce won the game over GalataSaray 2-0 on Saturday.
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