Bak: Our Four Big Clubs Have Come to Nicosia, and It Was a Milestone

Turkish Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak thanked Turkey's four big clubs taking part in the KKTC Friendship Cup. Bak said that the Turkish nation and the four big clubs had answered those trying to prevent Barcelona from coming to the KKTC by saying "We are here," and that the clubs had come to the island, which is a milestone.

The tournament, hosted by the Cyprus Turkish Football Federation (KTFF) and organized with the contributions of the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Youth and Sports, will last two days at Lefkoşa Atatürk Stadium. The U15 teams of Beşiktaş, Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray and Trabzonspor will face Turkish Cypriot youth. The tournament also includes the Lefkoşa, Girne, Gazimağusa/İskele and Güzelyurt/Lefke selections. Prime Minister Ünal Üstel, his wife Zerrin Üstel, Turkish Ambassador to Nicosia Ali Murat Başçeri, KTFF President Hasan Sertoğlu, Beşiktaş Club President Serdar Adalı, some ministers and members of parliament watched the matches from the stands.

Sertoğlu recalled that they took over the federation's administration on 10 November 2010 and said that on Tuesday they would complete 16 years and enter their 17th year. He said they had long tried to explain that there was no problem in the youth setups, but had not been able to get this across. He stated that it had emerged that neither UEFA nor FIFA had any role in blocking the football training camp that Barcelona Academy had planned in the KKTC, and that Barcelona Club did not come to the island because of political games.

Sertoğlu announced that, with the contributions of the Republic of Türkiye, Lefkoşa Atatürk Stadium will be demolished and a new stadium built in its place. Saying that Bak had promised at the launch of the stadium to bring the U15 teams of the four big clubs to the KKTC and had kept his word, Sertoğlu said, "This is a milestone, our second milestone will be our stadium." After his speech, he presented the KKTC national team jersey prepared on behalf of the Minister of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Türkiye to Bak. Bak said, "We do not accept that obstacles are placed in front of young people."