Switzerland meet Turkey in must-win match

Keystone/EQ Images

Switzerland have all to play for in their game against Turkey in Basel on Wednesday, which takes place against a background of painful memories of past encounters.

Both teams have already lost their first games, so a win is in practice necessary to keep their quarterfinal hopes alive. Switzerland were beaten 1-0 by the Czech Republic in the opening game on Saturday, while Turkey fell to Portugal 2-0 a few hours later.

There is already a lot at stake, but the trepidation felt by fans on both sides will be heightened by the memory of ugly confrontations surrounding the previous two games when the two countries faced each other, playing for a place in the 2006 World Cup.

Swiss fans whistled during the Turkish national anthem at the first game in Bern and after the return match in Istanbul the Turks physically attacked the Swiss players. But after sanctions imposed by Fifa the two sides made peace.

Given the attention paid to security by the organisers of Euro 2008, observers do not expect a repetition of such scenes.

“I hope we shall concentrate purely on football,” said Swiss midfielder Gelson Fernandes.

Latin style

“After the Czech Republic, who tend to play a tactical and cold game, we are now facing a Latin-style match, with Turkey’s brio and passion. The Turks are under great pressure at home, because Switzerland is regarded as a small country in footballing terms over there, an opponent to be simply brushed aside,” explained coach and former international Umberto Barberis.

Barberis, who is a Euro 2008 consultant for swissinfo, describes Turkey as “quite solid everywhere and a team which likes to play an attacking game. But their results depend to a huge extent on the context, on the refereeing, as well as the temperature and atmosphere in the stadium. The Turks always attach a lot of importance to technique and are very quick in their moves.”

Yves Débonnaire, the coach of the Swiss under-17s, has been “spying” on Turkey during their qualifying matches on behalf of the Swiss Football Association but he is keeping tight-lipped.

“I’m not allowed to tell you what it says in the notes I made about the Turks. But in any case, their coach Fatih Terim is so unpredictable that anything is possible with him. Only one thing is for sure: Switzerland has to play really well and win this match. Six points are at stake – and that is enough to qualify.”

Technically Switzerland could still qualify if they drew – or even lost – against Turkey, but they would then have to win their final group match against Portugal on June 15 and hope that other results worked in their favour.

“Special match”

There will be an extra piquancy to this decisive game for three of the Swiss players: Hakan Yakin, Gökhan Inler and Eren Derdiyok are all of Turkish origin although all three were born in Switzerland.

“Of course this match is ‘special’ for me, since Turkey is the country my parents came from and I speak the language,” said Derdiyok, the youngest player in the tournament who turns 20 the day after the match. As one of Switzerland’s two strikers – the other is Yakin – he is almost certain to be brought in to replace injured Swiss captain Alexander Frei.

“But even if we are playing Turkey, it’s a game like any other and Switzerland must win. Hakan, Gökhan and I often talk about it and they feel just the same way as I do.”

Gökhan Inler told swissinfo: “Given my Turkish roots, o course it’s a special challenge for me. I know several members of the Turkish national team personally, and I am keen to see how I do against them. It will be an emotional event, obviously, but I shall approach the match like any other.”

As for Hakan Yakin, he recently revealed that he visits Turkey every year, mainly to see friends from Galatasaray, where he had a six-month contract a few years ago – a brief but important stage in his career.

Swiss midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta said: “This is a special match for Hakan, Gökhan and Eren, but it is also special for the whole team. It seems that each time we meet Turkey there is something vital at stake.”

swissinfo, based on an article in French by Mathias Froidevaux in Feusisberg

Turkey, Euro 2008 and the World Cup

In the qualifying matches for Euro 2008 Turkey finished second in their group behind defending champions, Greece.

Like Switzerland, Turkey’s first European championship final was in England in 1996, where both were eliminated in the qualifying round.

Turkey qualified again for the 2000 championship held in Belgium and the Netherlands, where they reached the quarterfinals but were defeated 2-0 by Portugal.

Turkey have twice played in a World Cup: in Switzerland in 1954 and again in 2002 where they finished third.