Sentencing Aziz Yıldırım will not be enough for UEFA
On the topic of match-fixing, the prime minister has said it should be individuals who are punished and not clubs. UEFA President Michel Platini acknowledged the prime minister, but pointed out that the practice is different. In other words, sentencing Aziz Yıldırım will not be enough for the UEFA. They will do what their own rules require them to do.
Actually, Platini was speaking very openly.
He said the disciplinary committee was an independent committee, that the system has worked like this for decades, and that there was nothing to do. He also said that clubs have always had to pay for the irregularities of their presidents. This means that whatever we do, whether it is elimination, relegation, or erased points, in the international arena, it is their say.
As for us, we will either comply with their rules or condone Turkish football’s being convicted in the international area.
PM trying to prevent a possible war
Prime Minister Erdoğan is flying to South Korea to participate in the Nuclear Security Summit. He will also meet United States President Barack Obama. I think the most important topic of the meeting will be the ongoing nuclear tension with Iran, because after leaving South Korea, the prime minister will visit Iran, where he will deliver the outcome from Korea, as well as messages from the U.S.
Actually, because the prime minister’s Iran visit will happen prior to the nuclear talks to be held in Istanbul in the coming days, it is very, but very, important. Why?
In academic circles these days, the talk is that Israel might strike Iran before the May 20-21 NATO summit to be held in Chicago, in the U.S. The reason given for this speculation is the fact that the Missile Defense Project is to be finalized at this summit. Turkey, at this stage, will try to document its demands, including the prevention of information sharing with Israel. If it can, it will prevent Israel’s access to data from the Kürecik radar base in Malatya.
Consequently, Israel will be left defenseless, because it will not be able to see where Iran’s retaliatory missiles are coming from. As you can see, the opposite of this is also true. In other words, Israel can easily attack Iran only when it is making use of this radar. The worst aspect of this for Turkey is that the base will be under U.S. control, not under NATO, during a possible attack. That means, if Iran strikes this base, Turkey will be entering a war together with the U.S. against Iran because of Israel.
All of this is to say that the prime minster is actually tackling some much deeper issues that lie behind the nuclear talks, and is trying to prevent a disastrous scenario. With this problem out there, the argument “Unless Israel lays down its nuclear arms, then Turkey and Egypt also want to have them, and for this, they request assistance from Pakistan” is nothing but tabloid gossip.
We were both happy and sad
Those of our friends who are Fenerbahçe fans are continuously texting us. They tease, saying things like, “Guys, we’ve never seen another club so happy to about a tied game.” Actually, they are wrong.
Imagine: Your opponent scores two beautiful goals in the first 15 minutes and your heart is in your mouth. But as the minutes go by, you see that everything is slowly changing. The team wakes up and thus their first goal comes in the first half. Pressure builds in the second half. Here is an energetic team. You are watching a very well-calculated game.
Wouldn’t you be happy?
Especially with that shot that hit the goal post in the last minute…
It was at that moment that we beat our breasts.
