Northern Cyprus national football team
| Shirt badge/Association crest | |
| Association | Cyprus Turkish Football Association (CTFA) |
|---|---|
| Confederation | CONIFA NF-Board |
| Head coach | Caner Oshan [1] |
| Most caps | Serkan Önet (25) |
| Top scorer | Halil Turan (18) |
| Home stadium | Nicosia Atatürk Stadium |
| FIFA code | NCY (*Non-FIFA member) |
| First international | |
| Turkey Turkish Cypriots 0–5 Turkey (1962) | |
| Biggest win | |
| Northern Cyprus 15–0 Darfur (Arbil, Iraq; 4 June 2012) | |
| Biggest defeat | |
| Turkey Turkish Cypriots 0–5 Turkey (1962) Turkey 5–0 Turkish Cypriots Turkey (İzmir, Turkey; 28 September 1980) | |
| CONIFA World Football Cup | |
| Appearances | 2 (first in 2016 ) |
| Best result | Runners-up (2018) |
| CONIFA European Football Cup | |
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2017 ) |
| Best result | Runners-up (2017) |
| Website | ktff.org |
The Northern Cyprus national football team (Turkish: Kuzey Kıbrıs Millî Futbol Takımı) represents Northern Cyprus, a de facto country, in association football. They were a member of the New Federations Board for non-FIFA-affiliated nations, until its dissolution in 2013. Northern Cyprus' home stadium is Nicosia Atatürk Stadium in North Nicosia and their head coach is Fırat Canova. They are the current FIFI Wild Cup champions, having won the event in Germany in June 2006. They are also the current ELF Cup champions, having won the event at home in November 2006.
Due to an ongoing sports embargo against Northern Cyprus, the team cannot play international matches with FIFA members.
History
[edit ]Origins (1955–1962)
[edit ]The Cyprus Turkish Football Federation (Turkish: Kıbrıs Türk Futbol Federasyonu, KTFF) was formed as early as 1955 – a consequence of Turkish Cypriot clubs withdrawing from playing in Cypriot sport competitions. Turkish Cypriots first played with a representative national side in 1962, against Turkey. This was before the 1974 war which caused the de facto partition of Cyprus and – as such – participating players were Turkish speakers from all over Cyprus.
Islamic Games (1980)
[edit ]Despite not being considered an independent country, Northern Cyprus played in the 1980 Islamic Games football tournament, which was held in İzmir, Turkey. They suffered a 5–0 defeat against Turkey, their worst to date. Other results were a 2–0 loss against Saudi Arabia, 2–1 victory against Malaysia, and a 1–1 tie with Libya.
Reportedly, these matches were tolerated by FIFA as a result of an agreement with then-FIFA General Secretary Helmut Käser. After Northern Cyprus declared itself independent in 1983, this deal came to an end, leaving the Northern Cypriot team unable to play against FIFA-affiliated countries.[3] [4]
After the foundation of TRNC (1983–2004)
[edit ]After the foundation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 1983, the KTFF hosted Sport Games Football Federation in 1999, winning the event.
NF-Board (2004–2013)
[edit ]KTFF joined the NF-Board in 2004, expanding the horizons of the national team. KTFF hosted the KTFF 50th Anniversary Cup in 2005, winning the event. Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus won the first NF-Board tournament, the FIFI Wild Cup, in Hamburg, Germany in June 2006 after defeating Zanzibar 4–1 on penalties after a goalless draw. KTFF was set to host the VIVA World Cup during November 2006, however due to issues between the sides the KTFF chose to host its own tournament, the ELF Cup at that time. Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus opened the tournament against Crimea, winning 5–0, beating their previous 'largest win' record of 6–2 against Sápmi. Soon after the opener, they beat the new record with a 10–0 victory against Tibet.
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus defeated Crimea 3–1 in the ELF Cup finals to lift their second NF-Board cup in the same year. On the 9th of January, Northern Cyprus was chosen to participate in the 2016 ConIFA World Football Cup
CONIFA (2013–present)
[edit ]![[icon]](/index.cgi/contrast/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=link}
Tournament history
[edit ]Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus have taken part in five international tournaments and won four. KTFF 50th Anniversary Cup, organised to celebrate 50 years of the KTFF, involved national teams from Kosovo and the Sápmi region of northern Scandinavia, and was won by the hosts with maximum points. NF-Board invited Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to take part in the first FIFI Wild Cup, held in Hamburg, Germany. This also featured teams from Greenland, Tibet, Gibraltar, Zanzibar, and a team representing "The Republic of St. Pauli", amateur players drawn from the St Pauli district of Hamburg. TRNC defeated Zanzibar on penalties in the final after a goalless draw to lift the trophy. KTFF hosted and won the ELF Cup beating in the final Crimea, in 2006. In 1999 hosted and won the Sport Games Football Association. The only one tournament lost is the 1980 Islamic Games in Turkey, where they lost 2 matches on 4. the team will compete at the 2016 ConIFA World Football Cup
FIFI Wild Cup record
[edit ]| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany 2006 | Champions | 1st | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | Oraloğlu (2 goals), Kolcu (1 goal), Çerkez (1 goal), Dylan (o.g.), Morris (o.g.) |
| Total | 1/1 | 1st | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | Top scorer: Oraloğlu (2 goals) |
- Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
ELF Cup record
[edit ]| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Cyprus 2006 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 2 | Taşkıran (6 goals), Çakır (5 goals), Uçaner (3 goals), Çukurovalı (3 goals), Kolcu (2 goals), Selden (2 goals), Ulusoy (2 goals), Arıkbuka (1 goal), Kansu (1 goal), Keleşzade (1 goal), Sapsızoğlu (1 goal), Rizvan Abıltarov (o.g.) |
| Total | 1/1 | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 2 | Top scorer: Ertaç Taşkıran (6 goals) |
Competitions record
[edit ]Islamic Games
[edit ]| Year | Position | GP | W | D | L | GS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tournament İzmir | |||||||
| 1980 | 4th | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| Total | Best: 4th | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
Northern Cyprus tournament
[edit ]| Year | Position | GP | W | D | L | GS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KTFF 50th Anniversary Cup | |||||||
| 2005 | 1st | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
| ELF Cup | |||||||
| 2006 | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 2 |
| Total | Best: 1st | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 4 |
World Cup record
[edit ]| Year | Position | GP | W | D | L | GS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIFI Wild Cup | |||||||
| FC St. Pauli 2006 | 1st | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| VIVA World Cup | |||||||
| Occitania 2006 | did not enter | ||||||
| Sápmi 2008 | |||||||
| Padania 2009 | |||||||
| Gozo 2010 | |||||||
| Kurdistan Region 2012 | 2nd | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 4 |
| ConIFA World Football Cup | |||||||
| Sápmi 2014 | did not enter | ||||||
| Abkhazia 2016 | 3rd | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 4 |
| Ogaden 2018 | 2nd | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 6 |
| North Macedonia 2020 | did not enter | ||||||
| Total | Best: 1st | 19 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 54 | 15 |
European Cup record
[edit ]| Year | Position | GP | W | D | L | GS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ConIFA European Football Cup | |||||||
| Székely Land 2015 | did not enter | ||||||
| Northern Cyprus 2017 | 2nd | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 5 |
| Republic of Artsakh 2019 | did not enter | ||||||
| County of Nice 2021 | cancelled | ||||||
| Northern Cyprus 2023 | |||||||
| Total | Best: 2nd | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 5 |
Players
[edit ]Current squad
[edit ]The following players have been called up for the 2021 ConIFA European Football Cup in Nice, from 12 August to 23 August 2021.[5]
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1GK | Hasan Piro | (1983年10月02日)2 October 1983 (aged 37) | 20 | 0 | Northern Cyprus Alsancak Yeşilova |
| 18 | 1GK | Erdoğan Nay | (1997年07月16日)16 July 1997 (aged 24) | 2 | 0 | Northern Cyprus Baf Ülkü Yurdu |
| 23 | 1GK | Ozan Mercan | (1994年04月22日)22 April 1994 (aged 27) | 2 | 0 | Northern Cyprus Doğan Türk Birliği |
| 2 | 2DF | Serhan Önet | (1981年08月26日)26 August 1981 (aged 39) | 25 | 1 | Northern Cyprus Çetinkaya |
| 5 | 2DF | Çağrı Kıral | (1989年02月11日) 11 February 1989 (age 36) | 20 | 0 | Northern Cyprus Lefke |
| 12 | 2DF | Salih Say | (1981年03月10日) 10 March 1981 (age 43) | 12 | 0 | Northern Cyprus Cihangir |
| 13 | 2DF | Hüseyin Sadıklar | (1986年08月13日) 13 August 1986 (age 38) | 10 | 1 | Northern Cyprus Yenicami |
| 14 | 2DF | Ahmet Sönmez | (1987年06月30日) 30 June 1987 (age 37) | 10 | 0 | Northern Cyprus Doğan Türk Birliği |
| 17 | 2DF | Aykut Esmeraslan | (1992年03月28日) 28 March 1992 (age 32) | 5 | 0 | Northern Cyprus Lefke |
| 21 | 2DF | Adil Uçar | (1989年08月20日) 20 August 1989 (age 35) | 5 | 0 | Northern Cyprus Mağusa Türk Gücü |
| 3 | 2DF | Necati Gench | (1999年11月21日) 21 November 1999 (age 25) | 0 | 0 | England London Yeni Boğaziçi |
| 4 | 2DF | Arif Uysal | (1996年04月27日) 27 April 1996 (age 28) | 0 | 0 | Northern Cyprus Mağusa Türk Gücü |
| 6 | 3MF | Fırat Ersalan | (1986年05月11日) 11 May 1986 (age 38) | 10 | 0 | Northern Cyprus Cihangir |
| 10 | 3MF | Halil Turan | (1986年11月28日) 28 November 1986 (age 38) | 15 | 10 | Northern Cyprus Mağusa Türk Gücü |
| 19 | 3MF | Kenan Oshan | (1995年12月27日) 27 December 1995 (age 29) | 12 | 3 | Northern Cyprus Doğan Türk Birliği |
| 8 | 3MF | Thomas Richardson | (2004年08月15日) 15 August 2004 (age 20) | 6 | 4 | England Colonel Getafe Reserves |
| 16 | 3MF | Ünal Kaya | (1991年06月08日) 8 June 1991 (age 33) | 8 | 1 | Northern Cyprus Yenicami |
| 11 | 3MF | Mehmet Altun | (1997年09月05日) 5 September 1997 (age 27) | 2 | 0 | Northern Cyprus Yenicami |
| 7 | 3MF | Yasin Kurt | (1988年03月14日) 14 March 1988 (age 36) | 0 | 0 | Northern Cyprus Mağusa Türk Gücü |
| 20 | 4FW | Uğur Gök | (1990年10月22日) 22 October 1990 (age 34) | 15 | 5 | Northern Cyprus Küçük Kaymaklı |
| 9 | 4FW | Tansel Ekingen | (1986年09月29日) 29 September 1986 (age 38) | 10 | 2 | Northern Cyprus Yenicami |
| 15 | 4FW | Ahmet Sivri | (1999年07月06日) 6 July 1999 (age 25) | 2 | 1 | Turkey Galatasaray |
| 22 | 4FW | Billy Mehmet | (1984年01月03日) 3 January 1984 (age 41) | 5 | 4 | Northern Cyprus Alsancak Yeşilova |
Recent call-ups
[edit ]The following players have been called up for the team within the last 12 months.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Ercan Samancıoğlu | (1994年07月30日) 30 July 1994 (age 30) | Northern Cyprus Yenicami | 2018 ConIFA World Football Cup squadPRE | ||
| GK | Türkkan Delideniz | (1984年12月28日) 28 December 1984 (age 40) | Northern Cyprus Mağusa Türk Gücü | 2017 ConIFA European Football Cup squad | ||
| DF | Salih Güvensoy | (1988年08月27日) 27 August 1988 (age 36) | Northern Cyprus Yenicami | 2018 ConIFA World Football Cup squadPRE | ||
| DF | Mehmet Kaygısız | (1989年08月09日) 9 August 1989 (age 35) | Northern Cyprus Küçük Kaymaklı | 2017 ConIFA European Football Cup squad | ||
| MF | Aydın Aygın | (1988年07月17日) 17 July 1988 (age 36) | Northern Cyprus Doğan Türk Birliği | 2018 ConIFA World Football Cup squadPRE | ||
| MF | Ahmet Coşkun | (1986年07月22日) 22 July 1986 (age 38) | Northern Cyprus Doğan Türk Birliği | 2018 ConIFA World Football Cup squadPRE | ||
| MF | İbrahim Çıdamlı | (1988年10月20日) 20 October 1988 (age 36) | Northern Cyprus Çetinkaya | 2018 ConIFA World Football Cup squadPRE | ||
| MF | Mehmet Kaygısız | (1989年08月09日) 9 August 1989 (age 35) | Northern Cyprus Küçük Kaymaklı | 2018 ConIFA World Football Cup squadPRE | ||
| MF | Ali Özbahar | (1989年08月28日) 28 August 1989 (age 35) | Northern Cyprus Yalova | 2017 ConIFA European Football Cup squad | ||
| MF | Hüseyin Adal | (1987年06月29日) 29 June 1987 (age 37) | Northern Cyprus Küçük Kaymaklı | 2017 ConIFA European Football Cup squad | ||
| MF | Mustafa Yaşınses | (1988年08月16日) 16 August 1988 (age 36) | Turkey Hekimoğlu Doğanspor | 2017 ConIFA European Football Cup squad | ||
| MF | Kenan Özer INJ | (1987年08月16日) 16 August 1987 (age 37) | Turkey Ankaragücü | 2017 ConIFA European Football Cup squadPRE | ||
| FW | Kasım Tağman | (1992年04月30日) 30 April 1992 (age 32) | Northern Cyprus Lefke | 2018 ConIFA World Football Cup squadPRE | ||
| FW | Ertaç Taşkıran | (1982年08月06日) 6 August 1982 (age 42) | Northern Cyprus Ozanköy | 2017 ConIFA European Football Cup squad | ||
| FW | Esin Sonay | (1990年08月31日) 31 August 1990 (age 34) | Northern Cyprus Çetinkaya | 2017 ConIFA European Football Cup squad | ||
- Notes
- PRE = Preliminary squad.
- RET = Retired from international football.
- WD = Withdrew from the squad.
- INJ = Withdrew due to an injury.
Honours
[edit ]Non-FIFA competitions
[edit ]- FIFI Wild Cup
- 1st place, gold medalist(s) Champions (1): 2006
- Viva World Cup
- 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runners-up (1): 2012
- CONIFA World Football Cup
- CONIFA European Football Cup
- 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runners-up (1): 2017
- ELF Cup
- 1st place, gold medalist(s) Champions (1): 2006
See also
[edit ]References
[edit ]- ^ "Oshan teknik ekibini belirledi Kaynak: Oshan teknik ekibini belirledi". Sporyeni. 7 November 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
- ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 7 March 2025. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
- ^ http://www.playthegame.org/upload/billeder%202007%20konference/speakers/speakerdocuments/menarystevepaper.pdf Archived 2011年11月14日 at the Wayback Machine [bare URL PDF ]
- ^ "Northern Cyprus – Conifa World football". www.conifa.org. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
- ^ "2021 CONIFA European Football Cup – Wikipedia" (in Turkish). Cyprus Turkish Football Association. 3 May 2018.
External links
[edit ]- (in Turkish) HomePage
- (in English) All-time results from RSSSF
- (in English) "Footballers Reveal ‘Strip’ Poster to Highlight their 50 Year Ban from International Football"
- (in English) Details of FIFI Wild Cup final
- (in English) Article about the FIFI Wild Cup final
- (in English) 2006 FIFI Wild Cup Pictures of TRNC Team
- (in English, Greek, and Turkish) Cyprus Soccer E-Group