Elam criticises FC Barcelona youth camp planned in Cyprus north

Nicosia, Cyprus. Elam on Monday criticised Spanish club FC Barcelona over a youth football training camp planned in the north of the island, objecting in particular to its website’s use of the term “Northern Cyprus”.

Camp details

The event, titled “Lefkosa Camp”, is scheduled to take place from September 7 to 11 and from September 16 to 20.

FC Barcelona’s website lists the venue as “Near East University, Lefkosa, Northern Cyprus”.

Elam’s response

Elam described the organisation of sports activities in the north by foreign organisations as “inconceivable”, particularly by a club with a major football academy from an EU member state.

The party called on the Spanish government to intervene and cancel the camp. It also urged Cyprus’ foreign ministry to take action to prevent the event from taking place.

Elam said it had also contributed to the recent cancellation of an electronic music festival planned at Kyrenia castle.

Previous controversy

FC Barcelona previously faced criticism in 2014, when its then former president Joan Laporta visited the north, met local officials and compared Catalonia’s political status with that of the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”.

Laporta proposed a football match between Catalonia and a team from the north, but the match did not take place.

A lawyer, Laporta met the north’s then “deputy prime minister”, Serdar Denktash, and Hasan Sertoglu, head of the Turkish Cypriot football federation.

At a news conference in Kyrenia attended by Denktash and Laporta, Denktash announced a tourism promotion agreement between the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” and Fashion TV. The television channel was a client of Laporta’s law firm.