By Bosphorus News Sports Desk
A football match between teams from the Turkish Cypriot parliament and Türkiye's parliament has revived the dispute over Turkish Cypriot access to international sport, a month after an FC Barcelona Barça Academy camp planned for northern Cyprus was removed from Barcelona's calendar and did not go ahead.
The Cumhuriyet Meclisi football team and the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) Parliamentarians Sports Club played at Şehit Hüseyin Ruso Stadium in Lefkoşa on September 30. Organizers used the theme "Two Republics, One Heart" and said the match opposed what the Turkish Cypriot side calls international isolation and sports embargoes. Turkish Cypriot parliamentary speaker Ziya Öztürkler attended.
The game followed an August dispute over plans by Barça Academy, FC Barcelona's global youth football program, to hold two training camps at Near East University. The university announced sessions for September 7-11 and September 16-20 and said the Lefkoşa program had been added to Barça Academy's international camp calendar.
The Cyprus Football Association (CFA) intervened after the plans became public. CFA chairman Haris Loizides wrote to Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) President Rafael Louzán asking the federation to prevent the camp from taking place in northern Cyprus. The CFA said it had coordinated with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and copied the letter to UEFA and FC Barcelona.
The CFA said the camp was contrary to the current legal and regulatory framework. It asked Barcelona either to move the event to an area under Republic of Cyprus government control or not to hold it on the island.
Barcelona later removed the Lefkoşa camp from its website. Cyprus Mail reported on August 27 that the program had been cancelled. The club gave no detailed public explanation. Loizides told the Cyprus News Agency the following day that the CFA's intervention had led to the cancellation.
Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman then sent separate letters to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and FC Barcelona President Joan Laporta. In the three letters, Erhürman linked the Barcelona case to restrictions on Turkish Cypriot participation in international cultural, sporting and social activities.
He also tied the case to the UN-led Cyprus process, arguing that such actions damage efforts to build trust between the two communities.
The Republic of Cyprus government defended the intervention. Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said authorities were acting as a recognized state should.
Turkish Cypriot football remains outside FIFA and UEFA competition. Representative sides instead play in competitions such as CONIFA. In June, the TRNC won the CONIFA Euro 2026 title after beating Padania 6-1 in the final in Italy.
At the September 30 match, Turkish Cypriot officials again called for access to international sporting competitions and organizations.
Sources: Turkish Cypriot Public Information Office, Turkish Cypriot Presidency, Cyprus News Agency, Near East University, Cyprus Mail, Bosphorus News review and reporting.