Turkish Fans May Take No Delight In Malta Clash

Subtlety is not the name of the game for the upcoming Malta - Turkey football clash, as dedicated Maltese fans invoke the Great Siege to drum up support for the national side. By coincidence, the European Championship match will be played on September 8, Victory Day, when the historic defeat of the Turks in 1565 is commemorated. For the Turks that date may be just a minor detail of history best forgotten, but with a fortnight to go to the clash, the Maltese supporters are doing their best to remind them about the Ottomans' humiliating capitulation nearly five centuries ago.

In Marsa, one of the billboards erected to publicise the match depicts a knight's armour with a football replacing the face. Insiders say a number of hardcore supporters are also planning to turn up at the Ta' Qali stadium dressed up as knights and others are printing hundreds of T-shirts depicting the eight-pointed Maltese cross. The fact that the match coincides with the Great Siege anniversary should entice even more people to the stadium, say Louis Agius and Paul Spiteri Lucas, from the South End Core supporters group.

The hype has paid off: Thousands have already bought their tickets and one individual has even posted a two-and-a-half minute video on YouTube linking the Great Siege to the match. Over 4,000 flags are being designed for the occasion and 20 big drums will be beating through the crowds. A replica of the Maltese shirt measuring 15 metres by 10 metres will flow over the curva. "We're not telling anybody to turn up at the stadium dressed up as knights but, of course, you never know what the supporters are planning to do," Mr Spiteri Lucas says. Mr Agius says the match would not have attracted so much attention if it were played on any other day.
"We're not going to battle but it's always a laugh to rekindle historic events, the same way the British do when they play Germany," he said. But, in reality, the anticipated taunts will probably go over the Turkish players' heads.

Birdlife Malta's executive director Tolga Temuge, a Turkish national, said that while victories are remembered in a nation's history, defeats are not. For the vast majority of Turks, Malta is not associated with the Great Siege but with football. During its lowest footballing ebb, Turkey could only manage to beat teams like Malta, Mr Temuge smiles. After placing a surprising third at the 2002 World Cup, Turkey now lies in 22nd place in the FIFA rankings. In reality, though, he believes that football matches between nations should not be taken out of context and turned into a platform to promote differences and historical hostilities between nations but rather should be used to promote tolerance and peace. "As somebody who has a Maltese partner, lives in Malta, works for the environment of Malta and pays taxes in Malta, of course I am sympathetic towards the Maltese side.

To me, watching a good game and seeing players and fans applauding both sides regardless of the result of the game is the main point." Mr Temuge says he will be delighted to see a draw or a Maltese victory - as he has always favoured the weaker sides. In fact, Malta has never managed a draw, let alone a victory against the Turks. It lost all its previous five official clashes, scoring two goals and conceding 13. The estimated 4,000 Turks living in Malta - most of whom are expected to be present for the match - will not wish for any change in trend.