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The Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot Football Authorities Meet the Diplomatic Community
The Ambassador of France to Cyprus Jean-Luc Florent gave a reception at his residence in Nicosia in honor of the Cyprus Turkish Football Association (CTFA) and the Cyprus Football Association (CFA). The reception was attended by many Ambassadors who support the process to unite football in Cyprus. CFA President Costakis Koutsokoumnis expressed his hopes for the completion of the process by mid-summer while , CTFA President Hasan Sertoğlu talked about his vision to have Turkish and Greek Cypriots playing together in the same Cypriot national team.
Ambassadors of many countries such as Russia, Germany, Italy, Hungary, India, Cuba, Palestine, Belgium, Slovakia, Finland, Switzerland and the Netherlands showed great interest in CTFA President Hasan Sertoğlu, having long chats with him and presenting him with their business cards for further communication. The CTFA Adviser Mr. Jerome Champagne, who has recently declared his candidacy for FIFA President was also present at the event which took place in an intimate atmosphere under the auspieces of the French Ambassador to Cyprus.
Florent: "I wholeheartedly support the process"
The Ambassador of France to Cyprus Jean-Luc Forent who gave the welcoming speech at the event praised both federations and their chairmen for their courageous stance towards the unification of football on the island. The Ambassador reminded that the process of reunification of Cypriot football started in November last year when both federations signed a historic text in Zurich.
‘’I wholeheartedly support the process and encourage the other members of the diplomatic community in Cyprus to do the same’’ said Mr. Florent who underlined that the process initiated by the two men need to be applauded and supported in concrete terms. He also wished success to the CTFA Adviser Mr. Jerome Champagne at his bid for FIFA Presidency.
Koutsokoumnis: "We are aiming to finalize the details of the deal by mid-summer"
The CFA President Costakis Koutsokoumnis talked about the fact that many people approach him asking how he is managing to unite the football in Cyprus. ‘’I tell them that its quite easy. Because there is friendship and mutual trust in between, and when you have these two elements, everything is possible in life’’ he said.
Mr. Koutsokoumnis pointed that the provisional agreement signed in Zurich is something they achieved in 1.5 years as they both had the future of the children of Cyprus in their minds. "Now we're talking about practice" he said explaining that it can take up to six months to implement. He mentioned that, should they need any help along the way, they will feel free to knock on the doors of the Ambassadors. The President of the Greek Cypriot federation also thanked the Adviser of the Turkish Cypriot federation Mr. Champagne for the excellent relations that he has developed between the two federations.
Sertoğlu: "We have shown that we are very serious about working together"
The CTFA President Hasan Sertoğlu who took the last word at the event thanked all the diplomats for sparing their precious time to give them the support they need. ‘’We are Cypriots, we love Cyprus and we love each other’’ said the CTFA President, saying that there is no chance anyone can have even the slightest doubt about the sincerity of both sides during this whole process.
"Political problems should not intimidate us. Our aim is the fusion of football ‘’ emphasized Hasan Sertoğlu, thanking the French Ambassador for taking the initiative to bring them altogether. At the end of his speech, the CTFA President declared his two groundbreaking proposals for the near future: ‘’1- Let’s have Turkish Cypriots play in the Cypriot national team again as it used to be the case in the past and 2- Lets have Greek Cypriot players participate in Turkish Cypriot teams not with foreigner status but as local players!’’