Erkan was not devastated after the game. We could win but at least there was good play and a promising football future. In the end, Turkey made a good scene in this tournament; demonstrated a spirited play...
Christian Runkel:
Peace in Turk-Almanistan
I watched the game sitting next to 12 year old Sinan and that is why I
could not completely rejoice in the German victory. It is so sad to see
a child disappointed. The photo is taken during the break when it was
still 1 - 1. Sinan is standing behind me and trying to put me under his
Turkish flag.
Next to him was Mevlut the one with the half-moon and star painted on
his cheeks. I still carry some red greasepaint on my forearm, from
hugging him after the game. Turks are good loosers, so there was a lot
of shaking hands clapping shoulders and even hugging when the game was
over.
The room where we watched belonged to a Turkish Association in downtown
Solingen, only a few hundred meters away from where in 1993 a Turkish
family was burnt to death by some crazy young Germans. That day is still
in the hearts and minds of many people here, but yesterday night it was
centuries away. These German Turks were obviously an undisputed living
part of Solingen and rooted here, they watched the game over German TV,
the youngsters naturally talked German with each other and shouted their
wishes, commands and condemnations for the Turkish players in German to
the screen.
When the game was over there was a mixed feeling that "we Turks" had
lost but also that "we Germans" had won. I hope that in the end this
will take away some of Sinan's disappointment. Sunday in Vienna he will
together with Millions of German Turks support the Ballack team, Sinan's
and my team.
The police had blocked some of the streets in downtown Solingen to keep
the honking cars that drove "corso" through the night away from places
where they could block the traffic. Two officers helped me to find an
escape way to get out of town. They were obviously relaxed. No clashes,
no violence had occurred, there was peace in our little Turkish-German
world.
And a huge roundup:
By ANDREW PURVIS / BERLIN
The horns started sounding in the streets of Berlin eight hours before the opening whistle blew. For the better part of a week, German black, red and gold flags sprouted from car windows, clothes lines, window sills right across Germany. In Berlin, the schnell-bahn rapid transit line was taken over by chanting fans, draped in national colors, swigging half-liter bottles of beer and singing for their teams victory. One half a million Berliners converged on the Brandenburg Gate in the historic center of the old capital to watch the game on giant screens. As in 2006, when Berlin hosted soccer's World Cup, a country not given to displays of national pride (since the Second World War) allowed itself to feel good about being German."
In UEFA EURO 2008™
Turkey's remarkable UEFA EURO 2008™ adventure had plenty of magic and mystery but even they could not conjure up one last miracle against Germany in Basel.
Continue reading ""Who Will the Turks Cheer Now? - Christian offers consolation:" »
