THE STATUS OF EU SPORTSMEN IN TURKEY

Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis stated that the Ministry for EU Affairs would not be the competent authority to decide on whether the EU citizens who reside in Turkey as sportsman would be considered in the status of foreigners. Bagis said that they had initiated a work in order to analyse the related legislation as a result of the speculations regarding that an opinion would be received within the framework of the litigations.

Bagis, who was in Vilnius for an official visit during the Lithuanian Presidency, pointed out that there was a decision taken by the Turkish Football Federation regarding football and stated the following: “We are all aware of the fact that some clubs wish to start a discussion on the decision taken by the court. We, as the Ministry for EU Affairs, cannot take a decision in this matter. The Federation is the decision-making mechanism in this area. These decisions may be addressed in court. We follow from the media that some of our football clubs are applying to the courts. In view of these concerns, we have given instruction to the Directorate for Legal Affairs at the Ministry for EU Affairs to carry out a review of EU and Turkish legislation with respect to the differences in the legislation, the status of Turkish football players in EU Member States and the rights of the citizens of EU Member States with reference to the freedom of movement of persons in the context of the Customs Union.”

Bagis said: “This is only a matter about our efforts to attain universal standards in all branches of the sports, not to treat any team differently upon the demand of another team.”  Bagis, who stated that they would convey the work upon the request of the judiciary, said: “this matter should not be seen as prioritising any football team, sports club or branch of sport. Instead, it should be viewed in the context of the attainment of sport ethics at EU standards by our country. Bagis also indicated that he had shared the relevant work with the Minister of Youth and Sports Suat Kılıç.