FIFA VC rejects Turkish Cypriot preconditions

FIFA Vice President, Marios Lefkaritis, has dismissed a call by a Turkish Cypriot football club not to attend next month’s FIFA meeting, which will discuss relations between the world federation on football and Turkish Cypriot clubs.

“I represent FIFA and UEFA and it is not up Cetinkaya President to decide who will be present at the meeting,”, Lefkaritis has told CNA.

The meeting is scheduled for 20 September in Zurich between the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA), the European Union of Football Associations (UEFA), the Cyprus Football Association (CFA) and Turkish Cypriots to discuss the status of Turkish Cypriot football clubs.

Lefkaritis, a FIFA Vice president and Honorary President of the CFA, made this statement in response to a comment by Cetinkaya’s President Zeki Ziyia, who was quoted by the Turkish Cypriot press as saying that Lefkaritis should not attend the meeting.

“Cetinkaya’s president was invited by FIFA and UEFA to attend the meeting and he has no right to choose who will be present at the meeting,” he pointed out.

Lefkaritis said he will be present at the meeting and it was up to Ziyia to decide whether he will attend or not. The aim of the meeting, he explained, is to examine the status of the Turkish Cypriot football clubs and ways CFA can help these clubs play, noting that whatever is decided at the meeting will have to have CFA’s consent.

He also said that CFA is the only recognised football authority in Cyprus and no other federation will be recognised.

Turkish Cypriot football clubs, operating in the self-styled regime in Turkish occupied Cyprus, maintain that they have the right to be represented separately and away from CFA in international matches, which is contrary to generally accepted rules and regulations.