Turkey Promises 'No Wild West' for Galatasaray-Juve
Copyright � 1998 Nando.net
Copyright � 1998 Reuters
ANKARA (Nov 20, 1998 - 13:15 EST) - Tight security will mark next week's Champions' League match between Galatasaray and Juventus, Turkey's minister for sport pledged Friday as tensions rose with Italy over Kurdish rebel chief Abdullah Ocalan.
The Turkish statement came as Italian politicians called for the match to be played on neutral territory, while European soccer's governing body UEFA said it was monitoring the escalating row.
"We are taking all the precautions. Turkey is not the Wild West, it is a state of law," Yucel Seckiner, state minister responsible for sports, told the NTV television news channel.
"There will be precautions before the game, from when they go from the airport to the hotel, during the game, and after the game," Seckiner added.
In Rome, Vito Leccese, vice-president of the Italian lower chamber's foreign affairs commission, told reporters: "I don't want to be alarmist but I think the match may provoke much tension which could be avoided."
Forza Italia center-right politician Antonio Leone called openly for the match to be called off if it could not be rescheduled elsewhere.
"It could become a dangerous political event. It would be best to avoid dangerous situations which could put the players and those accompanying them at risk," he said.
The Turkish and Italian champions were due to meet in Istanbul next Wednesday in their group B match.
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated since Italy arrested Kurdish rebel chief Abdullah Ocalan last week.
Turkish prime minister Mesut Yilmaz was applauded in the Turkish parliament when he said Italy would be an accomplice to terrorism if it failed to hand over Ocalan.
UEFA said the match would proceed only if it could be played in accordance with its regulations regarding security and safety.
"This is not the first time we have faced such a situation," said UEFA general secretary Gerhard Aigner.
"We will follow developments closely and, as usual, consider all matters in order to take a fair decision no later than Monday."
Juventus was reported to be extremely concerned about the prospect of playing in Istanbul.
The Turin-based club said it had asked for charter flights taking fans to the match to be canceled and had withdrawn Italian tickets for the game.
"We're doing all we can to ensure that the team doesn't meet with any problems," a club spokesman said.
Juventus coach Marcello Lippi said he was monitoring the situation but trusted UEFA to make a correct decision.
"I'm convinced that the situation is in the hands of intelligent and responsible people who aren't going to put our lives at risk," he said.
