Football clubs in the Turkish occupied part of Cyprus are angry as they are losing players to Turkish league clubs for no transfer fee. The problem is due to the fact that the occupied side of the island is not recognized as a country by anyone except Turkey, hence limiting its international exposure in areas such as football.

The 42 Turkish-Cypriot clubs that are part of the so-called “KTFF federation” are not recognized by international football’s governing bodies, FIFA and UEFA. Hence, players need to leave the Turkish-occupied part of the island in order to play internationally.

Arslan Bicakli, who heads up the unrecognized federation, said Turkey is taking away the clubs’ best players without paying any fee. “It is very easy for us to reach out to the world, all we would need is a deal with the Greek Cypriot Football Federation and that would take a week,” he said.