Embargoed Group To Protest France For Its Decision To Ban A Soccer Match
Published: 2/13/2006
ANKARA - A group named ''Embargoed!'', which is mainly composed of citizens of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), will protest the French government for its decision to ban a friendly soccer match between Monaco and Turkish Cypriot footballers, it was reported on Monday.
The Embargoed! will stage a demonstration in front of the French Embassy in London on Feb. 16th. The protest has been called following the French Government's decision to ban the Monaco Football Association from holding a planned friendly football match between its players and Turkish Cypriots from North Cyprus, at the Cap d'Ail stadium on February 18th, bowing to Greek Cypriot pressures.
One member of the group --Ismail Veli, who is the UK Community Liaison Officer --said that ''Politics has no place in sports and given that the French, like other EU countries, have pledged to end Turkish Cypriot isolation, this move to ban a friendly match is simply wrong. Their decision to discriminate against Turkish Cypriot footballers suggests the French authorities are not interested in playing by the rules of fair play, which is why they will be seeing the 'red card' during our demonstration next week.''
Embargoed! is an independent human rights group campaigning for the immediate and unconditional end to all embargoes against North Cyprus. The group was created on 4 March 2005 and aims to play an active role in raising awareness about the isolation of North Cyprus and lobbying world leaders and institutions to restore the fundamental political, economic and social rights of Turkish Cypriots.
Members of the Embargoed! launched an interesting ''naked demonstration'' with a group of footballers at the end of last year to protest the sportive isolation of Turkish Cypriots, which attracted interest in the world.
http://www.turkishpress.com