Xanthi Sport Union Kids’ Soccer Game between Xanthi Sport Union and Elpides PAOK mired down due to reactions to guide pupils in Turkish

ABTTF President Halit Habipoğlu: Sport should not be an instrument to forge hostilities but to reinforce fraternity and friendship.

The Kids’ soccer game between Xanthi Sport Union and Elpides PAOK on 19 October 2013 mired down due to the warnings “not to speak Turkish”. The reactions from parents of the pupils playing in PAOK to the coach of Xanthi Sport Union because he guided kids in Turkish led the Xanthi Sport Union to leave the game off.

At the interview given to minority daily Gündem, the Chair and Coach of Xanthi Sport Union Hakan İsmetoğlu said “We agreed to play a friendly game on Saturday, the 19th October. Our play-ers are composed of those who are born in 2006-2007. This is our smallest team. The Coach of our kids’ team is Erkan Kiracı. Naturally, some parents were also there to watch the game. Our coach Erkan was giving tips to kids during the game. And very naturally, he was doing this in Turkish and guiding kids. In the meanwhile, a parent came up complaining on our coach’s speaking Turkish and warned him not to speak Turkish. They sent him away from the playground and the incident has been terminated without escalation. Shortly after, the chair of the team came up and reacted in the same manner. He said that their part is getting agitated by Turkish conversations and asked if we were doing it on purpose. Upon these statements, we withdrew from the game.”

Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) President Halit Habipoğlu, “It is very dis-appointing to see the soccer game mired down between the kids’ teams of Xanthi Sport Union and Elpides PAOK upon the reactions on “Speaking in Turkish”. It neither can nor should be an offen-sive or agitating element to have one speaking in his mother tongue. Sport should not be an instrument to forge hostilities but to reinforce fraternity and friendship. We strongly condemn this incident, which initially started with intentions of friendship and included 6-7 year-old generation as the main actors to serve the means of the game, and call on Elpides PAOK Chair to apologize on behalf of the entire team”.