Germany’s sizable Turkish community is anticipated to turn Euro 2024 into a quasi-home tournament, especially with several players on the national team born in the host nation.
The hosting duties for Euro 2024 belong to Germany, yet the significant Turkish presence in the country could offer their team a sense of familiarity on the field.
“Türkiye will have a home field atmosphere at the Euros,” Türkiye midfielder Salih Özcan from Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund told Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).
“You could already see what can happen in Berlin during the game against Germany in November. That was a little foretaste, I’d say.”
Tens of thousands of Turkish fans attended the November friendly their team won 3-2, and they will also bank on big support at the Euros where they face Georgia and Portugal in Dortmund, and Czechia in Hamburg in the group stage.
Some 2.9 million people in Germany have a Turkish background, including several players.
Özcan was born in Cologne and helped Germany win the under-21 Euros in 2021 before deciding to play senior team football for his parents’ country.
Defender Kaan Ayhan is from Gelsenkirchen, Kenan Yildiz and Can Uzun were born in Regensburg, and Inter Milan’s Hakan Çalhanoğlu in Mannheim.
“For the Turkish fans who live here, it is something very special to have the national team here and so close to them,” Özcan said.
“Türkiye is generally a very euphoric country, especially when it comes to the national team. We players will feel that. That will spur us on.
“We have a lot of German-speaking players in the Turkish national team and I think everyone is really looking forward to it. For them, the Euros are a bit like coming home. Many of the players‘ families still live in Germany.”
Turkish musicians have been booked for the team’s opener against debutants Georgia on June 18, and while not expecting any trouble, Dortmund police will inform them about their efforts in Turkish.
“There is no special risk assessment for the Turkish matches that differs from the assessments for other international matches,” Dortmund police told dpa.
“We assume that the German Turks living in Dortmund and the surrounding area will actively participate in the events.”
Türkiye’s best result was a place in the semi-finals in 2008, which they lost 3-2 against Germany from a 90th-minute Philipp Lahm goal.
Özcan is optimistic about the fans’ support, expressing, “I am relishing the excitement. However, there’s also pressure, as the nation is vast and carries high expectations for the national team.”
“If things don’t go well, you get a bit of a kick in the bum, to put it bluntly. But for us, the anticipation of the fans and the feeling of having a home European Championship clearly prevail,” he said.
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