NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A Greek Cypriot club says a Turkish Cypriot player from the breakaway north of divided Cyprus was prevented from joining a team practice.
Alki FC spokesman Michalis Markou said Tuesday that Turkish Cypriot authorities stopped forward Mustafa Yasinses from crossing into the internationally recognized south to join the workout.
Turkish Cypriots playing for Greek Cypriot teams is rare. The island was split in 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup by supporters of a union with Greece.
Yasinses recently signed a four-year deal with Alki. He is only the fifth Turkish Cypriot player to join a Greek Cypriot club since a ban on crossing a United Nations-controlled cease-fire line was lifted in 2003.
