PLATINI, TURKEY AND US
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French legendary football player Michel Platini has been UEFA president for the past two years and during those two years, Armenian and Turkish football players are almost “inseparable”.
As known, the up to 21-year old Armenian and Turkish football teams were in the same group in the selective round of the 2011 European youth team championship (Georgia, Switzerland, Ireland and Estonia are in the 2nd group). This means that the sides will play in Yerevan and probably in Istanbul.
The Armenia-Turkey football matches were a rare phenomenon before Michel Platini became president of UEFA. Until then, the Armenian national and youth teams had never played one-on-one.
During the past two years, the two countries have faced off several times and they are resonant not only in Armenia and Turkey, but also in Europe.
Seventeen thousand football fans watched the Armenia-Turkey football match held in August 2008 at the “Hrazdan” stadium in Yerevan with Turkey winning 2-1. The match was broadcasted live on many television channels despite the fact that the match was between the youth teams.
Later, on September 6, 2008, the Armenian and Turkish national teams faced off and the match ended with Turkey’s victory (2-0). This match sparked interest of the world because this was the first time a Turkish president visited Armenia. The visit of Abdulah Giul led to the “Fair Game” prize given to Armenia and Turkey in January 2009.
But Turkey is not the only competitor for Armenia’s youth team in “Euro-2011”. The Armenian and Georgian youth teams are in the selective group for the first time. The Armenian-Georgian football matches also spark great interest in the neighboring countries.
