Turkey's soccer win may help achieve EU goal

The armies of the Ottoman Empire could not conquer Vienna, but 11 soccer players from Turkey think they can.

It's the way millions of Turks feel, a heady, near-mystical sense that their underdog run to the European Championship semifinals is more than just about scoring goals. To many, it's tied up with identity and insecurity, centuries of conflict and coexistence — and the nation's prickly, modern-day drive to join the club of Europe.

"There is an unwritten condition here in this country, the desire to show to the world what the Turks can do," said Huseyin Bagci, a Turkish academic. "The Turks are bringing a new flair to Europe."

But it's not just Us versus Them.

Nuance also defines a contest that has showcased Turkish skill, tenacity, and — even the most fanatic of fans admit — mind-bending luck in last-gasp wins against the Swiss, Czechs and Croatians that has made some here believe destiny will carry them to the final in Vienna.

Turkey's opponent in Basel, Switzerland on Wednesday is Germany, home to nearly three million Turks, some of whom moved there as "gastarbeiter," or guest workers, for low-paying jobs in the 1960s. Two of Turkey's top players, Hamit Altintop and Hakan Balta, grew up in Germany, came through Germany's football system and play for topflight German teams.

So Turks and Germans are intertwined, despite questions about assimilation and racially tinged tension that occasionally boils into violence. The bond is evident at places like Manolya, a Turkish restaurant in Frankfurt that is decorated with Turkish and German flags.

"Great! The best thing that could happen to us," waiter Celalettin Dagan, who came to Germany when he was seven years old, said of the semifinal matchup between his two favourite teams. If Germany advances, then we will be behind them."

By conquering Europe with its soccer prowess, Turkey is also finding an outlet for the countless frustrations it has encountered in its bid to join the European Union. For more than a year, the process has drifted badly, afflicted by European uneasiness and Turkish vexation with terms it says are unfair or onerous.

"Joyful Turks conquer Vienna!" the Turkish daily Hurriyet said after Turkey's win over Croatia in a penalty shootout in the Austrian capital. The headline recalled Ottoman campaigns in Europe, repelled at the gates of Vienna in 1529 and 1683.

By the time of the latter siege, Ottoman military prowess and economic vigour were in decline, and Europe was in the ascent. Many Turks still hark back to the glory days of the empire and blame its demise on the meddling of Western colonial powers — making their spectacular soccer run extra-sweet.

More than a dozen people were injured in fights between fans after the game against Croatia on Friday night. Triumphant Turks started many of the rumbles.

Turkey has known soccer success, finishing third in the World Cup finals held in South Korea and Japan in 2002. There, its opponents included Brazil, Senegal and Asian nations, but victory in Europe, the cradle of global soccer, is "more important," said Gursoy Delioglu, a chemistry teacher in Istanbul.

Delioglu will watch the Germany showdown on a boat in the Bosporus Strait, which flows between the European and Asian sides of the former Ottoman capital. Most fans will be land-bound — and if Turkey wins, cities will reverberate with whoops, car horns, fireworks and even celebratory gunfire.

In parliament on Tuesday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the national team had inspired "all people around the world who have to succeed despite difficult conditions, shortcomings and disadvantages."

Prospects for Turkey against the experienced, relentless Germans look grim, with key players out because of injuries and suspensions. But Turks place hopes in coach Fatih Terim, known as the "Emperor" because he expects total obedience, directing players like a military commander.

Terim embodies the intense nationalism in Turkey, where some feel their sovereignty is under threat from Kurdish rebels, Christian and other minorities, Western powers and accusations that Turks committed genocide against Armenia in the early 20th century.

Turkey's Nobel prize winner, writer Orhan Pamuk, once called Terim an "ultranationalist." The coach retorted that Pamuk, who has been prosecuted for allegedly insulting Turkish identity, was a "deficient nationalist."

The spectacle of euphoric crowds waving the red and white national flag makes liberal Turks nervous about possible intolerance among people who find an outlet in soccer, since none exists in the daily grind.

"People just think that they are better than the rest of the world," said Burak Demircioglu, a free-lance translator in the Mediterranean city of Izmir. "It's all about winning."

Turkey's success in the tournament seems to validate a widely held notion here that passion and self-belief are a better bet than cold-blooded logic and experience. Ask Turks who will win on Wednesday, and they tend not to assess player skills or tactical advantages: "It's 50/50," they say.

For now, Turks see the championship through the lens of an old Turkish saying: "Showing the power of the Turk to the entire world."

Today, if defeat looms in the final minutes, some Turks might murmur another timeworn adage: "The Turk comes to his senses late."

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