ELF Cup kicks off in Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

November 19, 2006 The football (soccer) tournament ELF Cup (Equality, Liberty, Fraternity Cup) kicked off today at 18:30 (EET) today between Crimea and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in Atatürk Stadium, Lefkoşa, TRNC.

Eight teams are participating in the first edition of the ELF Cup, making it the largest New Federations Board tournament ever. NF-Board teams Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Greenland, Tibet, Zanzibar will be joined by FIFA's Asian Football Confederation sides Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and non-aligned sides Crimea and Gǎgǎuzia.

The cup is conceived of two groups, with top two teams progressing to the semi-finals. Group A features Gǎgǎuzia, Greenland, Kyrgyzstan, and Zanzibar; while Group B features Crimea, Tajikistan, Tibet and the hosts Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

The event cost the hosts 340,000 YTL, of which they expect to cover half through turnout. Head of Cyprus Turkish Football Federation (Kıbrıs Türk Futbol Federasyonu, KTFF) Niyazi Okutan called for Turkish Cypriots to come and support their national team.