The draw for the qualification phase of the Euro 2012 tournament took place on Sunday. Turkey found out who they would be playing in order to get into Euro 2012, which will be co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine. Turkey was drawn into group A with the following nations:
- Germany
- Austria
- Belgium
- Kazakhstan
- Azerbaijan
What's interesting about this draw is that Germany, Austria, and Belgium are countries with a sizable Turkish expatriate population. The matches with Germany should be interesting, especially when the two countries meet in Germany. With about 3 million Turks living in Germany, it looks like whatever German city hosts the Germany-Turkey match will most likely be split 50-50 in terms of the crowd. Also interesting is Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan as opponents. Both countries are Turkic countries, so it's almost like playing with ethnic brethren for the Turks. Regardless, with the disappointment of not qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, Turkey will have enormous pressure to qualify for this tournament. The big question at this point is who will coach the national team. Rumors are going around that it's either Mark Hughes, formerly coach of Manchester City and Wales, or Guus Hiddink, who currently coaches the Russian national team. Whoever it is, that person will have to come up with a game plan to erase the disappointment of not participating in the World Cup this year.
Hi Ata,
ReplyDeleteI'm a journlist in the UK currently writing a piece for UEFA's Champions magazine on the state of the game in Turkey, and I wondered if I could email you a few questions on the subject. Your input would be great!
Please drop me a mail at titus.chalk [at] haymarket.com if that would be possible.
many thanks, Titus Chalk