Nazli Yuzbasioglu
10 June 2019•Update: 10 June 2019
ANKARA
Turkey on Monday issued a diplomatic note to Iceland condemning the ill-treatment of Turkish footballers at an airport in the country.
The note sent through the Turkey's Embassy in Oslo condemned the “disrespectful” and “violent” behaviors against Turkish footballers during the passport check and demanded extra security measures be taken for the players.
Turkey’s national football team arrived at Keflavik Airport in Iceland late Sunday for UEFA EURO 2020 qualifications Group H match to be played on Tuesday.
According to the footballers, Icelandic authorities made the national team wait for around three hours during the passport check and rigorously searched personal belongings of the footballers.
Meanwhile, Turkish Ambassador to Norway Fazli Corman left for Iceland in order to express his country’s discomfort over the recent developments.
In a Twitter post, Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu termed the treatment at the Iceland airport “unacceptable.”
“The treatment towards our national team at the Iceland airport is not acceptable in terms of both diplomatic and humanitarian practices,” Cavusoglu said.
Writing by Nilay Kar
