Football in the heart of Cyprus, the permanent memory of Famagusta…
A beautiful, shocking and at the same time moving tribute was published at the end of April on the website "Elprogreso.es" (see HERE). A tribute to Anorthosis and Nea Salamina and to the hometown of the two refugee groups, Famagusta.
A tribute entitled "Football in the heart of Cyprus, the permanent memory of Famagusta" and from this one understands how important is the fact that a Spanish journalist went to the trouble after an investigation to write it and "force" thousands of his compatriots to learn some things about our long-suffering island.
"Every year Anorthosis and Nea Salamina play an informal derby in Larnaca, a city that is not theirs but in which they fight under the condition of uprooting after a war that drove them away from their real home", is the meaning which comes out of a reportage proposal signed by Pablo Duran.
"The districts of Varosi froze. Nothing has moved there in 44 years. Only the wind pushes the leaves and the accumulated garbage. In Varosi only the weeds grow and the spiders, only the dust accumulates and only the facade of the buildings changes due to the collapse, the neglect and the decades of abandonment. Because there, on the beach of Famagusta, time was anchored in 1974. Clock hands did not keep moving, no wrist blossomed, no plane returned to its airport, no tourists in their hotels as they once did in a unique pocket of the Cypriot Mediterranean ", Is emphasized below and the shudder continues:
"Varosi remained the same as it was, like one of those time capsules that students bury for someone to save them for decades. Famagusta exists, but no one lives there. It is a graveyard of memories that only shines in the memory of those who were forced to leave, like an old Platonic love. Because to those who left him alone, their memories are preserved. This is the relationship between two worlds, the past and the present. Two worlds that were separated by a war and that remain innocent from that moment. Memory is the strongest desire of the displaced. And in it the fans of Nea Salamina and Anorthosis return again and again. They have forged their identity from the origin: Famagusta and the neighborhood of Varos, despite the kilometers, the walls, the machine guns and the irreconcilable hatred of the Turks and the Greek Cypriots ".
"The conflict between the two communities has led to a war that divides Cyprus in two since 1974. The latent peace after the battles created a real dividing line that left Famagusta to the pseudo-state of northern Cyprus, while the Greek Cypriot citizens took the road. . The saddest of all: That of exile in the Cypriot zone and in the cities of Paralimni, Deryneia and Larnaca. This situation made Nea Salamina and Anorthosis Famagusta take their suitcases and go to Larnaca - where they both have their headquarters and play as locals - leaving in the middle clothes, books, old photos and a few dowries. This refugee situation makes them want to return home one day. "There is no derby between these two clubs in another city, 70 kilometers south, despite the many things that separate them (s.s. politically" I believe ")", Pablo Duran continues in his reports.
In the report, the Spanish journalist, wanting to give a little emphasis to the political preferences of the fans of the two groups, referred to the fact that Nea Salamina is connected to the Cypriot left and Anorthosis to the idea of nationalism / right. It also refers to the way that led the founders of Nea Salamina to create this club, as well as to Anorthosis that was created in 1911 (information about the history of the two clubs is available on the internet). He then refers to the participations of Nea Salamina and Anorthosis in the Cypriot championship as well as their successes.
Following are the reports of the former Anorthosis striker Iram Canberra, who emphasizes: "The difference between Anorthosis and the other clubs is that it is a refugee group. Because of the situation he experienced, he had to move to another city and he has more fans than some other teams. It is the team that allows its refugee fans to hope that they will return to Famagusta ".
"Both teams have proud fans. Those of Nea Salamina are less and those of Anorthosis are more enthusiastic. Although they are on a separate ground that resulted from an irreconcilable confrontation, the two teams and their people maintain good relations and after the end of the games they coexist in peace and friendship without disturbing their common DNA: That of the displaced. "Among other things, reference is made to Makarios, to" Operation Attila ", to the civil war and to the other situations that led the Turks to invade Cyprus", underlines Pablo Duran.
"I was lucky enough to meet a family of displaced people. My partner and I spent a lot of time with them and dedicated ourselves to learning about the history of Anorthosis and the city of Famagusta and these people were responsible for learning. I was able to visit Famagusta with this family. There are soldiers who control the city. The city has been in ruins since '74, when the invasion took place. The beach area, which was touristy and which was prosperous, remained as people left it after the invasion. The fact that we went there, finding the city as it was, with the buildings destroyed, shocked us. After the invasion, the city remained as it was. A part recovered and there is life from people who came from Turkey, but the rest, the beach, remained as it was then. The Turks are using it, it is said, as a negotiating term to reach an agreement on the Cyprus issue. "Greek Cypriots are very interested in the return of the city, because then it was the most beautiful city in the country," said Canberra, among others.
The Greek majority left Famagusta and moved to the south, to Paralimni, Deryneia and Larnaca. Meanwhile, Varosi became a no-go area for anyone not in the Turkish army and was abandoned to its fate. "When they had to leave Famagusta, they were soon housed in a camp until the Larnaca provincial administration found a solution for the refugees and finally began to live around the city. "Most of the refugees settled in Larnaca and in their city they behaved very well," Canberra said.
Nea Salamina and Anorthosis continued to live with their fans in Larnaca, 65-70 km away from their city and feel the right to return to their land and feel part of the shield that is the symbol on the jersey of both teams, to experience the derby in their physical home and in their temperament. A small distance in terms of size, but gigantic in everything else.
"It is true that the club is in a way a way of reliving this story and making us realize how badly they went through the invasion," said Canberra. "The illusion of those who left is to return one day: The family we met, their parents, were among those who had to leave their homes when the Turks came. Hearing the testimony of this family who had to leave their house with one hand in front and another behind, as they say, impresses: The father of the family left the house with a pencil and a notebook, he had no time to take anything else , it would be very important for them to return there. "It would be a huge emotional factor to find a solution and for people to return and enjoy football in their city and not in Larnaca, although they are having a good time there, but it remains a city where they live temporarily."
The tribute also emphasizes the hatred that exists between the Greek Cypriots and the Turks, something that, as mentioned, "appeared in the first game of the Famagusta team against a Turkish team in 2006": "It was a symbolic confrontation. On the one hand the association representing Cypriot nationalism, displaced in one country because of the Turks and on the other one of the historical groups of Turkey. Through excellent security measures to prevent conflicts, the first match was played in Cyprus. Many fans of Trebizond accompanied their team with the flag of Turkey and the pseudo-state. The Greek Cypriots responded with Cypriot and Greek flags ".
The author of the report then refers to the achievement of Anorthosis' victory with 3-1, something that no Anorthosis player will ever forget and reminds that despite the 0-1 defeat in the replay, "Kyria" excluded Trabzon from Champions League. "This is a success that was celebrated by the fans of Nea Salamina in bars and cafes," says the Spanish colleague.
In conclusion, he records the fact that football in Cyprus, also exists in the occupied territories and is played in stadiums that were built after the invasion or renovated, while players from abroad also come. "Still, it looks like football being played in a sealed apartment, surrounded by turrets, barbed wire and the sea. As if it is played in another country, that no one recognizes, neither UEFA, nor FIFA and there are teams that will never go and play outside their borders. This is a condemnation for their clubs, who play in a travel-free league. Without the possibility of recognition by anyone, they live in a land that is not theirs ", writes Pablo Duran at the end of his tribute, who also refers to the failed attempt to unify the two Football Federations in Cyprus:
"Right now, the only way out for the teams in the occupied territories is the NF-Board (Nouvelle Fédération-Board, known as the Non-Fifa Board), an international association of non-FIFA football teams. Under this organization, which was born in the mythical bar of "Mort subite" in Brussels in 2003, the Turkish Cypriot clubs play their international games, in the oblivion of all, between the ruins of Varos and Famagusta, between the melancholy and its return. of a past that would be better in the minds of those who left and stayed. "
Source: goal.com.cy