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Turkey takes on Armenia in Bursa for pride and prestige
The Turkish national team has been eliminated from the upcoming World Cup finals in South Africa, so has Armenia. Hence points or qualification will not be at stake when the two teams meet today, but there certainly will be pride and prestige to play for because every game goes into the record books.
The political aspects of today's game by far outweigh the elements of soccer. Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan is expected to attend this match despite question marks hanging over a deal to establish diplomatic relations, open borders and end a century of hostility. Sarksyan on Monday confirmed his attendance at the match as part of a bid for rapprochement between the countries. Turkish President Abdullah Gül attended the first leg last year in Yerevan.
Let's leave the politics of this evening's game to our political experts, analysts and diplomatic desk and try to look into what soccer element is left in this match.
The Turks go into this match not in the best of moods, having missed out on the World Cup finals on Saturday. Bosnia and Herzegovina beating poor Estonia 2-0 away earlier on Saturday to clinch the playoff berth in Group 5 was bad enough for the Turks. But the demoralized Turks losing 2-0 against Belgium in Brussels in the night game was even worse. So bad was it that Turkey coach Fatih Terim threw in the towel and called it quits.
The Turkish Soccer Federation (TFF) said on Sunday that it had accepted Terim's resignation, and TFF President Mahmut Özgener stated that the Terim will preside over today's match, after which they will shake hands and say farewell.
Terim has been pilloried from all corners by the local sports media, which has been unanimous in blaming the coach for the downfall of the team. Terim took over from Ersun Yanal in 2005, pledging to reform and restructure the national team. But these turned out to be empty promises.
The coach stuck with Turkey's old guard -- the likes of Servet Çetin, Gökhan Zan, Emre Belözoğlu, Ayhan Akman, Nihat Kahveci, aging defender Emre Aşık and midfielders Ceyhun Eriş and Yusuf Şimşek. These players, some of whom have outlived their usefulness, performed at pedestrian pace during the World Cup qualifiers, and it therefore comes as little surprise that the Turks must watch next year's finals only on television.
Maybe we will be seeing Terim's old-timers perform for the last time this evening because the new coach, whoever he will be, is expected to completely overhaul the national team. Perhaps it is a good thing that Terim is leaving because every beginning has an end and every end has a brand new beginning.
Live on FOX TV
21:00 Turkey vs. Armenia
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