Win would bolster bid
Defending champion Greece will rate as a strong favorite to qualify for Euro 2008 with a victory at home against Turkey this Saturday, the Greek soccer federation’s chief said in an interview with Turkey’s state-run Anatolia news agency, which was published yesterday. Refusing to offer any predictions on Saturday’s eagerly anticipated Group C qualifier between Greece and the visiting co-front-runner, Vassilis Gagatsis noted: «I believe that if Greece wins the match against Turkey, the team will be a strong favorite to qualify. But this will happen only if our team also proves its worth in the other games too.» Greece and Turkey share Group C’s top spot with nine points from three games each. Norway follows on six points. The seven-team group’s top two teams qualify automatically for the Euro 2008 finals in Austria and Switzerland. Officials reported last week that all tickets for the game at the Karaiskaki Stadium had sold out, but EPO, the Greek soccer federation, announced yesterday that just over 2,000 tickets would go on sale at the stadium from 9 a.m. today, at the stadium’s Gate 17. Greece striker Angelos Charisteas, fighting to shake off an injury in time for Saturday’s game, appeared headed for full recovery yesterday, and is likely to be included in the squad. In the Anatolia interview, Gagatsis dismissed a question expressing unease over the Greek-Turkish soccer game’s timing, on the eve of the March 25 national holiday honoring the Greek Revolution against the Ottoman Empire in 1821. «Our national holiday is of great importance to every Greek. We will celebrate and honor our history, but that’s it. Soccer is an entirely different story,» Gagatsis said. «Under no circumstances will the Turkish team or delegation face security problems,» the Greek soccer federation’s chief assured, while telling the Turkish news agency’s interviewer that «as for the order problems you mentioned about Athens, I have to point out that these are related to internal political affairs and concern the dispute between the government and students. The problems have nothing to do with Turkey, or the country’s international affairs or ties.» Greece travels to Valletta next Wednesday for its fifth Euro 2008 qualifier, against Malta.
