The Turkish Cypriot authorities on Saturday evening announced plans to build a new football stadium in Nicosia, which they say will adhere to European football governing body Uefa’s “Category 4” criteria – the highest level of certification a football ground can receive in Europe.
Turkish Cypriot ‘prime minister’ Unal Ustel said that the new stadium, which will be located on the site of the current Ataturk Stadium on the edge of Nicosia’s Gocmenkoy suburb, will have a seating capacity of 8,000, as well as 25 VIP boxes and parking for around 700 vehicles.
He described the unveiling of the plans as “a historic day for Turkish Cypriot young people”, and said that “Turkish Cypriot sports have faced various obstacles for many years”.
“We are making the biggest investment in sports which has been made in the last 40 years,” he said, before stressing that the new stadium “will not only be used on matchdays”.
Instead, he said, “we are building a complex, befitting our athletes, federations, and fans”.
“Our young people will train, compete, and pursue their dreams here,” he said, before adding that the new stadium will be fitted with modern indoor training facilities, changing rooms, and medical facilities, as well as media infrastructure, and facilities for other Turkish Cypriot sports federations to house their offices there.
To this end, he said that “we want to bring our federations together under one roof”, and that “we will facilitate their collaboration and strengthen the opportunities they offer to our athletes”.
He also made reference to the “obstacles” faced by Turkish Cypriot athletes, with Turkish Cypriot representative teams ordinarily unable to enter international competitions and Turkish Cypriot athletes typically competing under the Turkish flag.
“They have put obstacles in front of our young people for years, but our athletes did not give up on working hard, competing, and achieving success. Our federations did not give up the fight. We will stand by them,” he said.
‘We will find a new way around every obstacle our children face’
On this front, he made reference to the Turkish Cypriot representative football team’s victory in this summer’s Conifa European football championship, a tournament organised for unrecognised countries and minority peoples across Europe, and said that the team “brought pride to our country despite the difficulties”.
He also made reference to the efforts initiated by the Greek Cypriot side to bring about the cancellation of a children’s football camp organised by FC Barcelona, saying that in the camp’s stead, the Turkish Cypriot authorities have contacted Turkey’s “big four” clubs, Besiktas, Fenerbahce, Galatasaray, and Trabzonspor, in the hope of organising a new event.
“We will find a new way around every obstacle our children face. Our young people will take to the field. They will compete. They will pursue their dreams,” he said.
The event was also attended by Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, who said that the new stadium “is not just a stadium, but a multi-purpose sports complex integrated with the city” of Nicosia.
He added that the aim of the project is “to create a year-round sports complex”, and that to this end, it will be a “living stadium”.
Additionally, he made reference to “elements of environmental sustainability” in the project, including plans for solar panels above the new car par and rainwater collection to water the pitch.
He also said that the stadium will be able to be used as a “safe gathering area in case of disasters”.
Later in his address, he, too, made reference to the cancelled FC Barcelona camp, and offered criticism for the Greek Cypriot side for its approach to it.
‘It is impossible for us to condone this approach’
“On the one hand, they talk about democracy and European Union standards. On the other hand, they are very clearly trying to punish the youth and the people of Cyprus. It is impossible for us to condone this approach,” he said.
He added on this front that “the international community really needs to wake up”.
“This approach, especially on the European Union’s part, is neither in accordance with the law, nor with human rights, nor virtue. It cannot be explained by human values. Whatever they do, we will together build the future that the Turkish Cypriot people and youth deserve,” he said.
Turkish Sports Minister Osman Askin Bak, meanwhile, said of the FC Barcelona camp that members of Turkey’s national football team will in the future hold an event at Nicosia’s Near East University, where it had been planned that the camp would be held.
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