Northern Cyprus national football team
The Northern Cyprus national football team (Turkish: Kuzey Kıbrıs Millî Futbol Takımı) represents Northern Cyprus, a de facto country, in association football. They were a member of the New Federations Board for non-FIFA-affiliated nations, until its dissolution in 2013. Northern Cyprus' home stadium is Nicosia Atatürk Stadium in North Nicosia and their head coach is Fırat Canova. They are the current FIFI Wild Cup champions, having won the event in Germany in June 2006. They are also the current ELF Cup champions, having won the event at home in November 2006.
Association | Kıbrıs Türk Futbol Federasyonu | ||
---|---|---|---|
Confederation | ConIFA NF-Board | ||
Head coach | Bülent Aytaç[1] | ||
Most caps | Serkan Önet (13) | ||
Top scorer | Yasin Kansu (7) | ||
Home stadium | Nicosia Atatürk Stadium | ||
| |||
First international | |||
(1962) | |||
Biggest win | |||
(Arbil, Iraq; 4 June 2012) | |||
Biggest defeat | |||
(1962) (İzmir, Turkey; 28 September 1980) | |||
ConIFA World Football Cup | |||
Appearances | 2 (first in 2016) | ||
Best result | 2nd (2018) |
Due to an ongoing sports embargo against Northern Cyprus, the team cannot play international matches with FIFA members.
History
Origins (1955–1962)
The Cyprus Turkish Football Federation (Turkish: Kıbrıs Türk Futbol Federasyonu, KTFF) was formed as early as 1955 – a consequence of Turkish Cypriot clubs withdrawing from playing in Cypriot sport competitions. Turkish Cypriots first played with a representative national side in 1962, against Turkey. This was before the 1974 war which caused the de facto partition of Cyprus and - as such - participating players were Turkish speakers from all over Cyprus.
Islamic Games (1980)
Despite not being considered an independent country, Northern Cyprus played in the 1980 Islamic Games football tournament, which was held in Izmir, Turkey. They suffered a 5–0 defeat against Turkey, their worst to date. Other results were a 2–0 loss against Saudi Arabia, 2–1 victory against Malaysia, and a 1–1 tie with Libya.
Reportedly, these matches were tolerated by FIFA as a result of an agreement with then-FIFA General Secretary Helmut Käser. After Northern Cyprus declared itself independent in 1983, this deal came to an end, leaving the Northern Cypriot team unable to play against FIFA-affiliated countries.[2][3]
After the foundation of TRNC (1983–2004)
After the foundation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 1983, the KTFF hosted Sport Games Football Federation in 1999, winning the event.
NF-Board (2004–2013)
KTFF joined the NF-Board in 2004, expanding the horizons of the national team. KTFF hosted the KTFF 50th Anniversary Cup in 2005, winning the event. Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus won the first NF-Board tournament, the FIFI Wild Cup, in Hamburg, Germany in June 2006 after defeating Zanzibar 4–1 on penalties after a goalless draw. KTFF was set to host the VIVA World Cup during November 2006, however due to issues between the sides the KTFF chose to host its own tournament, the ELF Cup at that time. Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus opened the tournament against Crimea, winning 5–0, beating their previous 'largest win' record of 6–2 against Sápmi. Soon after the opener, they beat the new record with a 10–0 victory against Tibet.
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus defeated Crimea 3–1 in the ELF Cup finals to lift their second NF-Board cup in the same year. On the 9th of January, Northern Cyprus was chosen to participate in the 2016 ConIFA World Football Cup
CONIFA (2013–Present)
Tournament history
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus have taken part in five international tournaments and won four. KTFF 50th Anniversary Cup, organised to celebrate 50 years of the KTFF, involved national teams from Kosovo and the Sápmi region of northern Scandinavia, and was won by the hosts with maximum points. NF-Board invited Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to take part in the first FIFI Wild Cup, held in Hamburg, Germany. This also featured teams from Greenland, Tibet, Gibraltar, Zanzibar, and a team representing "The Republic of St. Pauli", amateur players drawn from the St Pauli district of Hamburg. TRNC defeated Zanzibar on penalties in the final after a goalless draw to lift the trophy. KTFF hosted and won the ELF Cup beating in the final Crimea, in 2006. In 1999 hosted and won the Sport Games Football Association. The only one tournament lost is the 1980 Islamic Games in Turkey, where they lost 2 matches on 4. the team will compete at the 2016 ConIFA World Football Cup
FIFI Wild Cup record
Year | Round | Position | Matches | Wins | Draws* | Losses | Goals Scored | Goals Against | Scorers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2006 | Champions | 1st | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | Oraloğlu (2), Kolcu, Çerkez, Dylan (og), Morris (og) |
Total | 1/1 | 1st | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | Top scorer: Oraloğlu (2) |
- Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
ELF Cup record
Year | Round | Position | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals Scored | Goals Against | Scorers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2006 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 2 | Ertaç Taşkıran (6), Hamis Çakır (5), Kemal Uçaner (3), Ediz Çukurovalı (3), Derviş Kolcu (2), Sabri Selden (2), Coşkun Ulusoy (2), Atkun Arıkbuka, Yasin Kansu, Ekrem Keleşzade, Hasan Sapsızoğlu, Rizvan Abıltarov (og) |
Total | 1/1 | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 2 | Top scorer: Ertaç Taşkıran (6) |
Competitions record
Northern Cyprus tournament
Year | Position | GP | W | D | L | GS | GA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
KTFF 50th Anniversary Cup | |||||||
1st | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | |
ELF Cup | |||||||
1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 2 | |
Total | Best: 1st | 7 | 7 | 0 | '0 | 35 | 4 |
World Cup record
Year | Position | GP | W | D | L | GS | GA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FIFI Wild Cup | |||||||
1st | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | |
VIVA World Cup | |||||||
Did not enter | |||||||
2nd | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 4 | |
ConIFA World Football Cup | |||||||
Did not enter | |||||||
3rd | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 4 | |
2nd | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 6 | |
Total | Best: 1st | 19 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 54 | 15 |
European Cup record
Year | Position | GP | W | D | L | GS | GA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ConIFA European Football Cup | |||||||
Did not enter | |||||||
2nd | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 5 | |
Did not enter | |||||||
Total | Best: 2nd | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 5 |
World Cup History | |||
---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Score | Result |
VIVA World Cup | |||
2012 | |||
Round 1 | Win | ||
Round 1 | Lose | ||
Semi-Final | Win | ||
Final | Lose | ||
ConIFA World Football Cup | |||
2016 | |||
Group C | Win | ||
Group C | Win | ||
Quarter-Final | Win | ||
Semi-Final | Lose | ||
Third Place | Win | ||
ConIFA European Football Cup History | |||
---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Score | Result |
2017 | |||
Group A | Win | ||
Group A | Win | ||
Group A | Draw | ||
Semi-Final | Win | ||
Final | Lose | ||
Players
Current squad
The following players have been called up for the 2018 ConIFA World Football Cup in London, from 30 May to 10 June 2018.[4]
No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | GK | Hasan Piro | 10 February 1983 | 20 | 0 | |
18 | GK | Erdoğan Nay | 16 July 1997 | 2 | 0 | |
23 | GK | Ozan Mercan | 22 April 1994 | 2 | 0 | |
4 | DF | Serhan Önet | 26 August 1981 | 25 | 1 | |
8 | DF | Çağrı Kıral | 11 February 1989 | 20 | 0 | |
12 | DF | Salih Say | 10 March 1981 | 12 | 0 | |
13 | DF | Hüseyin Sadıklar | 13 August 1986 | 10 | 1 | |
14 | DF | Ahmet Sönmez | 30 June 1987 | 10 | 0 | |
17 | DF | Aykut Esmeraslan | 28 March 1992 | 5 | 0 | |
21 | DF | Adil Uçar | 20 August 1989 | 5 | 0 | |
3 | DF | Necati Gench | 21 November 1999 | 0 | 0 | |
4 | DF | Arif Uysal | 27 April 1996 | 0 | 0 | |
6 | MF | Fırat Ersalan | 11 May 1986 | 10 | 0 | |
10 | MF | Halil Turan | 28 November 1986 | 15 | 10 | |
19 | MF | Kenan Oshan | 27 December 1995 | 12 | 3 | |
15 | MF | Mehmet Erol | 1 January 1998 | 10 | 0 | |
16 | MF | Ünal Kaya | 8 June 1991 | 8 | 1 | |
11 | MF | Mehmet Altun | 5 September 1997 | 2 | 0 | |
7 | MF | Yasin Kurt | 14 March 1988 | 0 | 0 | |
20 | FW | Uğur Gök | 22 October 1990 | 15 | 5 | |
9 | FW | Tansel Ekingen | 29 September 1986 | 10 | 2 | |
11 | FW | Ahmet Sivri | 6 July 1999 | 2 | 1 | |
22 | FW | Billy Mehmet | 3 January 1985 | 0 | 0 |
Recent call-ups
The following players have been called up for the team within the last 12 months.
Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GK | Ercan Samancıoğlu | 30 July 1994 | 2018 ConIFA World Football Cup squadPRE | |||
GK | Türkkan Delideniz | 28 December 1984 | 2017 ConIFA European Football Cup squad | |||
DF | Salih Güvensoy | 27 August 1988 | 2018 ConIFA World Football Cup squadPRE | |||
DF | Mehmet Kaygısız | 9 August 1989 | 2017 ConIFA European Football Cup squad | |||
MF | Aydın Aygın | 17 July 1988 | 2018 ConIFA World Football Cup squadPRE | |||
MF | Ahmet Coşkun | 22 July 1986 | 2018 ConIFA World Football Cup squadPRE | |||
MF | İbrahim Çıdamlı | 20 October 1988 | 2018 ConIFA World Football Cup squadPRE | |||
MF | Mehmet Kaygısız | 9 August 1989 | 2018 ConIFA World Football Cup squadPRE | |||
MF | Ali Özbahar | 28 August 1989 | 2017 ConIFA European Football Cup squad | |||
MF | Hüseyin Adal | 29 June 1987 | 2017 ConIFA European Football Cup squad | |||
MF | Mustafa Yaşınses | 16 August 1988 | 2017 ConIFA European Football Cup squad | |||
MF | Kenan ÖzerINJ | 16 August 1987 | 2017 ConIFA European Football Cup squadPRE | |||
FW | Kasım Tağman | 30 April 1992 | 2018 ConIFA World Football Cup squadPRE | |||
FW | Ertaç Taşkıran | 6 August 1982 | 2017 ConIFA European Football Cup squad | |||
FW | Esin Sonay | 31 August 1990 | 2017 ConIFA European Football Cup squad |
- Notes
- PRE = Preliminary squad.
- RET = Retired from international football.
- WD = Withdrew from the squad.
- INJ = Withdrew due to an injury.
References
- "KTFF Karması teknik sorumlusu Bülent Aytaç olarak belirlendi". KTFF. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
- http://www.playthegame.org/upload/billeder%202007%20konference/speakers/speakerdocuments/menarystevepaper.pdf
- "Northern Cyprus - Conifa World football". www.conifa.org. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
- "Paddy Power CONIFA Dünya Kupası 2018 KKTC Milli Takım Kafilesi Açıklandı" (in Turkish). Cyprus Turkish Football Association. 3 May 2018.
External links
- (in Turkish) Official site
- (in English) All-time results from RSSSF
- (in English) "Footballers Reveal ‘Strip’ Poster to Highlight their 50 Year Ban from International Football"
- (in English) Details of FIFI Wild Cup final
- (in English) Article about the FIFI Wild Cup final
- (in English) 2006 FIFI Wild Cup Pictures of TRNC Team
- (in English, Greek, and Turkish) Cyprus Soccer E-Group