Juventus Wants Further Postponement
Copyright � 1998 Nando Media
Copyright � 1998 Agence France-Presse
MILAN (Nov 25, 1998 - 12:04 EST) - Juventus is planning to lobby UEFA for its cup tie in Istanbul to be called off again next Wednesday, as the Italians doubt that a diplomatic crisis with Turkey will be over in time.
The European Champions League tie against Galatasaray has been caught up in the storm over Italy's refusal to extradite Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, who is wanted by Turkey on treason and terrorism charges.
Scheduled on Wednesday, the game was postponed by UEFA to Dec. 2, for safety reasons due to the current wave of anti-Italian feeling in Turkey.
But Juventus president Vittorio Chiusano told Turin-based Tuttosport on Wednesday that he doubted the situation was going to improve, and said the club will renew its appeal to UEFA not to play the match in Istanbul.
Chiusano described UEFA's verdict on Monday as: 'Prudent and overall a wise one. It's been recognised that the conditions at the moment are not right for an Italian team to play a match on Turkish territory.
'But then you have to assess the realistic prospects that everything, or at least a good deal of the current situation, can be resolved in eight days.
'Eight days are almost nothing, the bat of an eyelid,' he said.
'Let's hope there will be a substantial change in the attitude of the (Turkish) government and people towards Italians -- such that would allow us to go to Istanbul and play in Galatsaray's stadium.
'In the past few days, we have made it clear to UEFA that there were not the right conditions to play in Istanbul and we will act the same way before the match on Dec. 2, unless obviously the situation improves.'
Juventus officials will have a board meeting here on Monday to decide what to do about the Group B game.
The club's honorary president Umberto Agnelli said the idea mooted by players of a neutral ground was 'an extremely valid solution.
'It's only right to hope that in the space of eight days all this tension will ease and that this crisis will have a positive ending,' he said. 'But it's hard to see it happening.'
Coach Marcello Lippi said: 'I realise that postponement could have whipped up people's reactions and only made things worse. But I think the important thing now is to wait and see how the situation evolves.'
Juventus' sporting director Luciano Moggi meanwhile took an unusual swipe at the club's critics.
'If we really do go and play in Turkey, if in seven days' time we really will be fine over there, then I'll invite all those famous and not so famous people who think we've been making a scene to join us in Istanbul aboard our team bus, the one with Juventus printed on the side,' he said.
'And we'll see how many take us up on the offer.'
