Cyprus raises security levels for Turkish club's visit

At least 1,000 police officers are expected to be on duty to ensure a trouble-free night when Anorthosis Famagusta take on Turkey's Trabzonspor on Tuesday in the first leg of their second qualifying round tie.

The second leg will be in Trabzon the following week. Islanders of Greek and Turkish ethnic origin have played low-profile soccer friendlies before without incident.

But the temptation of a Turkish team facing Greek Cypriots in front of a mixed bunch of Greeks, Turks and islanders harking from either ethnic group is a risk nobody can ignore.

In a clear calculation of the potential for trouble, UEFA, European soccer's governing body, was dispatching a senior security officer to the island today as well as its usual match delegate.

Fans would be subjected to at least two security checks and police cautioned that no political posturing would be tolerated.

"Fans must not carry with them any dangerous items like fireworks, lighters. And banners with political slogans on them will be seized," said security liaison officer Christos Mavris.

The game will be the first official soccer match since the island was split between its Greek and Turkish Cypriot inhabitants in 1974, when Turkey invaded Cyprus's north in response to a brief Greek-inspired coup.

Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots have been mingling freely since the border between the two sides cracked open in 2003, but many still harbour grievances over the past.

The 19,000 tickets for the game would go on sale a day before the match. Trabzonspor has opted out of acquiring its 1,200 allocated seats, but demand was swelling among Turkish Cypriots where the club has massive following.

Anorthosis, a Greek Cypriot team, hails from the city of Famagusta, now falling on the Turkish Cypriot northern side of the boundary dividing Cyprus.

It now plays its home matches in Larnaca, but Tuesday's match is taking place in Nicosia because of UEFA security standards.

Ketsbaia confident

Cypriot champions Anorthosis reached the second qualifying round after a 2-1 aggregate win over Dinamo Minsk, of Belarus.

Trabzonspor enter the competition at the second qualifying round stage after finishing as Turkish league runners-up last season.

Georgian Temuri Ketsbaia, who has also played for Newcastle and AEK Athens and is now player-coach at Anorthosis, said his team face a tough task.

"Trabzonspor are a better side but we are going to try our best over both legs.

"We had ample time to rest and I am sure that my team will play better than against Dinamo Minsk."

Although the matches will be the first between teams from the two countries, it is not the first time their clubs have been drawn together.

In 1986, APOEL Nicosia were paired with Besiktas of Istanbul in the European Cup but the tie never took place after APOEL asked UEFA to move matches to neutral grounds.

UEFA refused and APOEL decided, following orders from the government, to withdraw from the competition.

They were subsequently suspended for two years from any UEFA competition.

This year APOEL are in the UEFA Cup qualifying round. On Thursday, they host Malta's Birkirkara for the return match.

The Cypriots won the first leg at Ta' Qali 2-0.