Soccer semifinal more than just a game for Turkish Germans

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Billed as a clash of Germany’s “two national teams,” today’s match between Germany and Turkey in the semifinals of the European Championship exemplifies the deep, yet often tense, ties between the two countries.

An estimated 2.7 million people of Turkish origin live in Germany, comprising the country’s largest minority. Many Turkish immigrants, however, say they are not fully accepted in German society. Perhaps it’s not surprising, then, that most Germans of Turkish origin are backing their blood and supporting Turkey in today’s match. Said Kahan Abay, who has lived in Germany his whole life:

It’s all about heart, blood and passion. I’m preparing myself for defeat though, which is kind of symbolic of Turkish life over here.”

The leaders of both countries haven’t done much to help the tensions, either. Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan told ethnic Turks at a rally in Germany in February that “assimilation is a crime against humanity,” and German PM Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union Party opposes adding Turkey to the European Union.

Although most with Turkish ties will be rooting against Germany, some Germans are switching loyalties to support the Turkish team, which is something of a Cinderella after pulling off dramatic come-from-behind victories upsets over Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Croatia. “It’s only fair,” one German told the New York Times while shopping for a Turkey T-shirt. “They’ve never won the tournament.”

German police say they are “prepared for anything,” but there are signs of calm and coexistence. The editors of the German Bild and Turkish Hürriyet newspapers co-wrote an edtiorial calling on fans to support the winner of today’s match in the final against Spain or Russia on Sunday. Meanwhile, Merkel and Erdogan are scheduled to sit together at the match.

Hamit Altintop, one of two German citizens on the Turkish national team, told Spiegel online he hoped the game would be “another step toward the much-discussed goal of integration,” but doesn’t quite consider himself German at heart:

No. Maybe I’m both.”