The Hindu : Royal reception for Turkish team

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jul 01, 2002

Sport

Sport - Football

Royal reception for Turkish team

ON A HIGH: Elated members of the Turkish side toss their coach Senol Gunes into the air in celebration of their team's third place play-off match victory over South Korea at Daegu on Saturday. Turkey won the match 3-2 to take third place and South Korea finished fourth. — AFP

Istanbul June 30. Turkey's military said on Sunday it had assigned F-16 warplanes to escort Turkey's World Cup squad back to Istanbul where tens of thousands prepared to give the players a hero's welcome.

The players were expected to parade through the streets of Turkey's largest city in an open-top bus after landing at Istanbul airport. The bus would end up at the city's largest square, Taksim, for a massive street party that would include a concert by Turkey's best-loved pop star, Tarkan, and a fireworks display.

The military escort is a rare honour bestowed only on Turkish and foreign dignitaries on special occasions. The jets were to escort the team's plane as soon as it reached the Turkish airspace.

Turkey placed third in the World Cup after beating co-host South Korea 3-2 on Saturday, a success that went beyond most Turks' expectations.

Turkish striker Hakan Sukur scored in the opening 11 seconds of the bronze-medal game, setting a World Cup record for fastest goal. The national soccer team's unprecedented success has been a welcome distraction from the country's gloomy economic crisis and political uncertainty. Turkey's economy shrank 9.4 per cent last year, leading to massive layoffs.

Thousands of people partied in the streets on Saturday after Turkey's third place victory.

Turks flooded the streets to celebrate a win that marked a dramatic end to the country's 48-year absence from soccer's premier event. ``I'm so excited. I never thought we could make it this far,'' said Cetin Kargin, a jeweller. Thousands danced, screamed and waived red and white Turkish flags in Kizilay square in Ankara. In a few minutes, the square became a makeshift carnival with loudspeakers pumping pop and folk-music and vendors selling souvenir headbands and corn-on-the-cob.

Many Turks painted their faces red and white and wore team jerseys to celebrate what many Turks consider to be the greatest achievement in the country's sports history.

Cars drove around the Turkish capital blaring horns loudly to thank the national squad for its victories. Some fans sat in the cars' windows and waved flags out of the moving cars.

In its last World Cup appearance in 1954, Turkey did not make it beyond the first round. But at this year's tournament, Turkey was only beaten twice, both times by finalist Brazil.

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