Turkey furious over FIFA punishment

Turkish media responded angrily on Wednesday to Turkey being ordered to play their next six home matches abroad and behind closed doors, saying it reflected political hostility to their country in Europe.

The sanctions imposed by soccer's governing body FIFA followed a brawl after a qualifier against Switzerland in Istanbul that ended Turkey's hopes of reaching the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Turkey has vowed to appeal against the ruling, which the country's sports minister described as politically motivated.

"A clash of civilisations," said a headline in the Islamic-leaning Yeni Safak newspaper.

"The increasing political hostility in Europe is reflected in the decisions of FIFA's disciplinary committee."

Swiss media said Turkey had been let off lightly -- there had been speculation the team could be banned from the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign after the violent scenes.

Mass daily Blick said: "Verdict is ridiculously soft".

The sanctions, which apply to official matches and not friendlies, are among the most severe handed out to a national association and Turkish papers said they unfairly punish fans.

In effect they mean Turkey must play their entire qualification programme for the 2008 European championship abroad. They are with European champions Greece, Norway, Bosnia, Hungary, Moldova and Malta in qualifying Group C.

PROTEST LETTER

"What is the spectator's crime? An unjust punishment from FIFA," the daily Sabah newspaper said in a front-page headline.

The paper published FIFA's phone and fax numbers and called on readers to send a protest letter to FIFA president Sepp Blatter, providing a sample letter in English. Blatter is Swiss.

"It is clear that you don't like to see our country in Switzerland at Euro 2008 but I am sure we will succeed in qualifying for the finals. We will be there," the letter said.

FIFA banned two Turkish players, Alpay Ozalan and Emre Belozoglu, for six matches and Switzerland's Benjamin Huggel who admitted kicking Turkish assistant coach Mehmet Ozdilek.

Turkey were also fined 200,000 Swiss francs (88,400 pounds). A number of other players and officials from both teams received fines and suspensions.

"FIFA did not see the tears in our eyes. We were nearly expelled," said a headline in Milliyet newspaper.

Turkey's football federation said it would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

"I describe this decision as unacceptable. This is a political decision rather than a sports decision," Turkey's sports minister Mehmet Ali Sahin told NTV news channel.

Switzerland won November's two-legged playoff to qualify for the Cup starting in June.

Swiss media said Turkey had got what it deserved but many felt the punishment had not been tough enough.

"Fifa: Soft verdict against aggressive Turks", said mass daily 20 minuten on its front page.

Geneva daily Le Temps wrote in an editorial that the decision is a masquerade because it implied that only two Turkish players were involved and made Huggel as guilty as them even though he was only reacting to a kick from Streller.