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Bursa’s Atatürk Stadium hosts historic soccer game
The game had yet to begin by the time Today's Zaman went to print, but it was anticipated with great excitement -- mostly in terms of diplomacy, as both teams have already lost their chance to make it to the World Cup -- with President Abdullah Gül and Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan watching the game.
This is not the first time the two teams have faced each other. Turkey and Armenia played on Sept. 6 in Yerevan. However, this was the first time they played in Turkey. Tight security measures were taken in Bursa for yesterday's game. A team of 50 Armenian security forces also monitored security measures adopted in and around Bursa's Atatürk Stadium, where the game was scheduled to be played.
President Gül, who visited Armenia to watch the first game, attached special importance to yesterday's game, meeting recently with Bursa Governor Şehabettin Harput, Mayor Recep Altepe and Bursaspor fan representatives, known for their devotion to the team, requesting that everyone be good hosts and live up to Turkish standards of hospitality. Atatürk Stadium is located in Bursa's Çekirge district, and many residential buildings overlook the stadium. Security forces said they went through each apartment to check the buildings. In addition, police spoke with building managers in the area to ask about any residents that had moved in recently.
Sarksyan, who had earlier stated that he would not come to watch the game if Turkey did not open its border with Armenia, announced on Oct. 10, when the two protocols were signed, that there was no reason to reject President Gül's invitation
Sarksyan's Web site did not contain information on his schedule for Wednesday. Sources said this was a tactic to assuage nationalists.
Protocol tiers in Bursa's Atatürk Stadium were narrowed down to host about 150 people, who were sent special invitations for the game. The media stand was expanded to seat 400 people, as international press also showed great interest in the game. Four-hundred journalist from the US, Switzerland, France and Germany were accredited by the Bursa Governor's Office.
Seats were also set aside for Armenian spectators, despite the fact that no visitors from Armenia could come to the game under FIFA rules. Meanwhile, there was a brief problem a few days ahead of the game as the Bursa Governor's Office banned bringing Azerbaijani flags into the stadium, which many planned to do in protest of Armenia's occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh. However, the ban was lifted following protests by civil society organizations. The Bursa chapter of the Turkish Public Workers' Labor Union (Kamu-Sen), which also collected 50,000 signatures for a campaign against Sarksyan's Bursa visit, was said to have distributed about 15,000 Azerbaijan flags in Bursa. Sources said the governor and security forces in Bursa convinced such groups to not go overboard in supporting Azerbaijan by emphasizing that Azerbaijanis, although asking for Turkey's support on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, do not recognize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC).
Meanwhile, 11 deputies from Azerbaijan visiting Turkey were in Ankara yesterday to meet with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The outcome of the meeting had not been clear by the time Today's Zaman went to print. Approximately 20,000 tickets were distributed for the match. A group called Texas known for its passionate support of Bursaspor was given 6,000 tickets.
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