Turk-Greek post-war soccer friendly ends after 84 years

The first friendly soccer match between Turkish and Greek soccer teams – interrupted by downpour in its third minute 84 years ago – ended Saturday in a 5 – 5 draw, on the Greek island of Chios.

Karsiyaka mayor Huseyin Mutlu Akpinar was among several who switched teams mid-play, firstly captaining Karsiyaka and then scoring a goal for Lailapas.

''I''ve played many games but today''s was meaningful,'' Mayor Akpinar told reporters after the match.

''The friendship of the two Aegean sides manifested once again,'' he said.

At the 65th minute of the match, fans placed Turkish and Greek flags in the midfield.

''The historic and symbolic meanings (of the match) are very high," Turkish Ambassador to Greece, Kerim Uras said.

The original match was played on December 7, 1930, eight years after the end of the bloody 1919-1922 Greco-Turkish War. The game was part of a framework of rapprochement between Turkish leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and his Greek counterpart Eleftherios Venizelos.

The idea originally came in 1930 during a visit by a cultural association formed by 40,000 Greek emigrants dislocated from Turkey and living on Chios, according to Greek historian Yiannis Makridakis.

''This event symbolizes the unity of Turkish and Greek peoples,'' Makridakis said.