Barcelona Angers Cyprus by Advertising Camp in Occupied North

FC Barcelona has provoked outrage among Greek Cypriots after its youth academy advertised football camps to be held in the Turkish pseudostate in Northern Cyprus, using place names and territorial designations that are not recognised by the Republic of Cyprus, the United Nations, or the European Union.

The Spanish football giant’s academy listing refers to the venue as “Near East University, Lefkosa, Northern Cyprus,” according to Brussels Signal. The advertisement employs the Turkish name for Nicosia and references an entity whose independence is recognised by Turkey alone.

Published on August 4, the listing promotes two football camp sessions scheduled for September 7-11 and September 16-20. The camps are designed for young players aged six to eighteen, with three training groups running daily. As of August 26, the advertisement remained active on Barcelona’s website.

Near East University confirmed that Spanish coaches would travel to deliver training sessions based on the Barcelona academy’s methods.

Nationalist Party Demands Government Action

The National Popular Front (ELAM), a Greek Cypriot nationalist party, issued a sharp condemnation of the plan on August 24. ELAM declared it unacceptable for foreign organisations to conduct sporting activities in the occupied territories, particularly an academy affiliated with a club from an EU member state.

The party called on Spain’s government to intervene directly and urged Cyprus’s foreign ministry to take action to block the camps from proceeding. ELAM also demanded the cancellation of the Zamna music festival, scheduled to take place in the occupied north in October.

Earlier this year, ELAM claimed responsibility for scuttling another electronic music event planned at Kyrenia castle. Officials in the Turkish pseudostate said the Serbian organisers withdrew following diplomatic pressure.

The Cyprus Football Association stated it was reviewing the matter.

Turkish Cypriot Leaders Reject Criticism

Leadership figures in the Turkish pseudostate dismissed the protests. Prime minister Ünal Üstel said such campaigns could not foster trust or build a shared future on the island, asserting that young Turkish Cypriots would continue to meet international athletes.

President Tufan Erhürman, who won election in October 2025 on a platform favouring reunification, argued that efforts to obstruct international events were aimed at isolating Turkish Cypriots from the rest of the world.

A Divided Island and Stalled EU Accession

Cyprus has been split since Turkey invaded in 1974. The Turkish pseudostate in Northern Cyprus declared independence in 1983, a move the UN Security Council deemed legally invalid.

The Republic of Cyprus acceded to the European Union in 2004. While the occupied north is legally EU territory, the application of EU law there remains suspended because the government in Nicosia does not exercise control over the area. The Cyprus question continues to be a central impediment to Turkey’s frozen EU accession negotiations.

Not the First Controversy

This is not the first time Barcelona has been drawn into the Cyprus dispute. In 2014, former club president Joan Laporta visited the occupied north, met with local officials, and drew parallels between Catalonia’s position and that of the breakaway administration. A proposed match between a Catalonia team and a side from the north never materialised.

Barcelona has not issued any public statement regarding the planned youth camps.

With information from Brussels Signal