Month: September 2013

DENMARK COACH OLSEN APOLOGISES FOR 9/11 COMMENT

ESPN.co.uk
Sept 10 2013

Morten Olsen has apologised after likening Denmark’s 4-0 World Cup
qualifying defeat against Armenia to 9/11.

The Denmark coach is readying his side for the return fixture, after
losing heavily at Copenhagen on June 11, and made the comment to
reporters in the pre-match press conference.

“For us Danes I think that if you are in or around the team, this
game in June is a blemish that needs to be washed away,” Olsen said.

“Perhaps it’s a bit rough to compare, but in terms of football,
it was our September 11.”

Olsen’s comments come almost 12 years to the day since nearly 3,000
people lost their lives in a terrorist attack in New York.

However, in an attempt to reverse any offence, an apology was quickly
issued from the Danish Football Association’s official Twitter account
from Olsen, which read: “I’m sorry if my comparison – despite my
reservations – inadvertently offended some people.”

Denmark are fifth, one off bottom, in Group B after seven games,
but are just one point behind Bulgaria in second place leaving faint
hope of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil via the play-offs.

Even if the Danes win all three of their remaining fixtures against
Armenia, Italy and Malta, they are not guaranteed a play-off spot. A
loss on tuesday in Yerevan would virtually end their chances.

DENMARK COACH: ARMENIA DEFEAT “OUR 9/11”

twentyfour7 Football
Sept 10 2013

Denmark coach Morten Olsen faces a backlash after comparing their
4-0 defeat to Armenia last July as their 9/11.

The insensitive comments, which were made in the pre-match press
conference, come just days before the anniversary of the September 11th
terrorist attacks that brought New York and the world to a standstill.

When questioned about the unexpected result last July Olsen said,
“Maybe it is hard to compare, and probably we should not compare,
but football wise [the 4-0 defeat to Armenia] was our September 11th.”

The 64-year-old was quick to apologise via the Danish official Twitter
account, “I’m sorry if my comparison – despite my reservations –
inadvertently offended some people.”

The Danes travel to Armenia tonight in their second qualifier against
the minnows.

Denmark currently lie in fifth place in their World Cup qualifying
group.

From: Baghdasarian

DENMARK COACH MORTEN OLSEN ISSUES APOLOGY AFTER COMPARING ARMENIA DEFEAT TO 9/11

Metro News, UK
Sept 10 2013

By Daniel Jones Tuesday 10 Sep 2013 8:44 am

Denmark coach Morten Olsen has had to make a grovelling apology after
comparing his side’s 4-0 defeat to Armenia last year to the terrorist
attacks of 9/11.

The Danes travel to Armenia tonight, having been humbled by the
minnows in Copenhagen.

However, the build-up to the rematch has been overshadowed by Olsen’s
ill-thought comments.

Asked how he viewed last July’s disastrous Group B result, the
64-year-old replied: ‘Maybe it is hard to compare, and probably we
should not compare, but football wise [the 4-0 defeat to Armenia]
was our September 11th.’

Unsurprisingly the insensitive comparison, made just two days prior to
the anniversary of the tragedy in New York, did not go down well and
Olsen issued a hasty apology on the Denmark national team’s official
Twitter page.

‘I’m sorry if my comparison – despite my reservations – inadvertently
offended some people,’ he wrote.

Denmark are currently fifth in Group B, level on points with Armenia
and Czech Republic and just one point behind second-placed Bulgaria
with three matches to go.

OLSEN COMPARES ARMENIAN LOSS TO 9/11

The Copenhagen Post, Denmark
Sept 10 2013

Christian Wenande
September 10, 2013 – 09:07

National football coach later apologised for his comparison of a 0-4
drubbing by Armenia on June 11 to terrorist attack

Almost 12 years ago to the day, nearly 3,000 people lost their lives
in the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York City. For national football
coach Morten Olsen, losing a football game is apparently on par with
that tragic event.

As Denmark prepares for its showdown World Cup qualifier against
Armenia tonight in Yerevan, Olsen raised some eyebrows after he
compared Denmark’s 0-4 humiliation at home to the Armenians in June
to 9/11.

Olsen explained at a press meeting yesterday that the unexpected loss
in Copenhagen still weighs heavily on him and his team.

“For us Danes I think that if you are in or around the team, this
game in June is a blemish that needs to be washed away,” Olsen said.

“Perhaps it’s a bit rough to compare, but in terms of football,
it was our September 11.”

Later apologised Trine Nebel, a rhetorician and communications
consultant, argued that Olsen’s comparison was extremely inappropriate.

“Football is a game. I know that it’s also about money and for some
people it’s a job, but it is a game and you step over moral boundaries
by comparing September 11 with football,” Nebel told Ritzau news
service. “It’s not just an emotional event for the US. As a nation,
we in Denmark have also had to deal with the effects of September 11.”

Olsen later apologised for the ill-advised comparison on the Danish
football association’s Twitter account.

“I am sorry if the comparison had the unintended consequences of
hurting some people,” Olsen said.

Loss was a severe blow Denmark’s hopes to reach the 2014 World Cup
in Brazil were dealt a severe blow in June after the team endured
their worst home defeat in recent memory.

“We played on June 11, but result-wise it feels like a stain. It’s
something that still sits in all our players, and that is just fine,
because it should,” Olsen said, hoping to avoid making the same
mistakes in tonight’s return game in the Armenian capital.

Denmark’s World Cup hopes continue to hang in the balance despite
their 2-1 win over Malta on Friday. Even if the Danes win their three
remaining fixtures against Armenia, Italy and Malta, they are not
guaranteed a play-off spot. A loss tonight in Yerevan would all but
end their chances.

The World Cup qualifier between Denmark and Armenia kicks off tonight
at 18:00 and can be seen on K6.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIA’S ARAS OZBILIZ TAKES HILARIOUSLY BAD CORNER KICK DURING LOSS TO DENMARK

Yahoo Sports
Sept 10 2013

By Ryan Bailey

There was a lot riding on Denmark’s World Cup Qualifier trip to
lowly Armenia on Tuesday night. Not only were De Rød-Hvide looking
to secure the play-off place in UEFA Group B, but they were keen to
avenge the humiliating 4-0 home loss they suffered in the reverse
fixture last June.

Manager Martin Olsen got preparations off to a controversial start,
after he was forced to apologize for comparing the aforementioned
loss to the tragedies of 9/11. On reflection, he conceded that it
wasn’t an incredibly sensitive thing to say the day before the 12th
anniversary of the attacks.

Gauche comments aside, the Danes were able to secure a vital 1-0 win in
Yerevan. This win came in part because of Daniel Agger’s 73rd-minute
goal, but also in part because of the corner-taking prowess of
Spartak Moscow’s Aras Ozbiliz. The poor fellow appears to kick the
flag instead of the ball and it all goes horribly wrong from there.

Ozbiliz’s woeful dead ball attempt should have ended in a free kick
to the Danes for handball, but the officials must have either felt
sympathy or that the flag had committed a foul, as he was awarded a
do-over instead.

Watch the corner kick at

From: A. Papazian

THE WORLD CUP DREAM LIVES ON IN YEREVAN

The Copenhagen Post, Denmark
Sept 10 2013

Christian Wenande
September 10, 2013 – 21:58

There’s still much to do, but a second-half penalty by Daniel Agger
has kept Denmark’s hopes to qualify for the 2014 World Cup alive

Danish hopes to reach the 2014 World Cup in Brazil remained intact
after a narrow 1-0 win over Armenia in Yerevan tonight.

Embattled coach Morten Olsen and his boys had been severely criticised
for their performances recently, but dominated throughout and were
rewarded with a game-winning penalty twenty minutes from time.

The penalty was won after young sub Viktor Fischer produced a moment
of brilliance out of nothing. After skinning one defender near the
touch-line, Fischer poked the ball away from another defender, who
clattered the youngster, giving away the spot-kick.

Captain Daniel Agger stepped up and coolly slotted the penalty home
to hand the Danes the three points needed to stave off World Cup
qualification elimination.

For the moment at least, the ugly memories of the Armenian defeat in
Copenhagen had vanished. So had Olsen’s ill-advised comparisons the
day before.

The win moves the Danes up to 12 points and temporarily into third
place in the group behind leaders Italy and second-placed Bulgaria,
who retained their one-point lead this evening by beating Malta 2-1.

The Czech Republic, meanwhile, will draw level with Denmark on points
should they win in Italy. Heading into the second half, they are
leading 1-0.

The result means that Denmark still have a chance of making the
play-offs for the World Cup in Brazil next year if they manage to
beat Italy and Malta in their final two games next month.

RESULT: DENMARK EARN VITAL WIN OVER ARMENIA

Sports Mole
Sept 10 2013

© AFP
By Jack Prescott, London Correspondent

Denmark have given their World Cup qualification hopes a boost with
a 1-0 win in Armenia.

The result has seen Morten Olsen’s side climb up to second place in
Group B with two games left to play.

The decisive goal came in the 73rd minute when Daniel Agger fired in
from the penalty spot after Varazdat Haroyan had been sent off for
his second bookable offence.

Denmark return to action on October 11 when they play Italy at home,
while Armenia entertain Bulgaria.

ARMENIA VS DENMARK 0-1 HIGHLIGHTS MATCH REPORT SCORE 2013

Premier Football News
Sept 10 2013

Daniel Agger kept Denmark’s hopes of qualification for the World Cup
alive from the penalty spot as his side defeated 10-man Armenia in
Tuesday’s Group B match in Yerevan.

Agger did not miss from 12 yards after Varazdat Haroyan brought down
Viktor Fischer in the 73rd minute, placing the ball into the bottom
left corner to beat Armenia goalkeeper Gevorg Kasparov.

Haroyan was shown a red card for the challenge on Fischer after it
earned him his second booking of the night – his first came in the
second minute for a foul on Nicki Bille Nielsen.

The result means Denmark have 12 points while Armenia remain on nine,
with Italy leading the group comfortably .

Denmark dominated the game and had two early chances denied by
Kasparov, who blocked a Bille Nielsen volley from the left of the
area before saving Christian Eriksen’s 20-yard effort.

Eriksen was again denied by the Armenia stopper just before the break,
with Marcos Pizzelli wasting a rare chance for the home side when he
sent a weak shot over the bar from distance just after the hour mark.

Denmark goalkeeper Stephan Andersen had little to do but he easily
denied Aras Ozbiliz in the 72nd minute before a rash challenge by
Haroyan changed the course of the game.

Armenia vs Denmark 0-1 Highlights Score Goals Video

From: Baghdasarian

LAWYERS TO FOCUS ON ‘TERROR ORGANIZATION’ IN DINK CASE

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Sept 11 2013

ISTANBUL – Hurriyet Daily News
by Vercihan Ziflioglu

The ‘terror organization’ aspect of case over the assassination of
Hrant Dink will be more focused according to lawyers, as it will
restart next week

The case related to the assassination of Hrant Dink, which is set to
restart on Sept. 17, will be more focused on the “terror organization”
aspect of the case, one of the Dink family lawyers has said.

Speaking to the Hurriyet Daily News, lawyer Cem Halavurt said they
would demand that the “real web of connections” be brought to light.

An Istanbul court will begin rehearing the case related to the
assassination of Turkish-Armenian journalist Dink, after the Supreme
Court of Appeals overturned Yasin Hayal’s acquittal on charges of
“being a terrorist organization leader” and finding him guilty of
“founding and leading an organization for crime” earlier this year.

“The Dink case is even more complicated than the Ergenekon [coup plot]
case, and that is why it has not been illuminated yet,” Halavurt said.

“Unless this case is solved, the deep state will not have been
unveiled.”

Dink, the renowned editor-in-chief of Agos, was shot in front of his
office in Istanbul on Jan. 19, 2007.

The triggerman, Ogun Samast, 17-years-old at the time of the murder,
and Yasin Hayal, who was charged of being the instigator of the
assassination, were convicted of the murder. However, a high criminal
court dismissed charges related to “armed terrorist organization.”

Later, a Supreme Court verdict defined the acts of all suspects in
the case under “an organization formed to commit crime” according to
Turkish Penal Code Article 220. “The local court ruled there was no
criminal organization involved, but the Supreme Court said there was a
criminal organization. We have been saying all along that there was an
armed terror organization behind this assassination,” the lawyer said.

“The court said the suspects committed an act of punishment against
Dink as a person, not against the state or the public order. That was
why it was not considered a terrorist act. We will try to prove that
it was the work of a terror organization.”

Halavurt added that it was impossible to continue the case as it was.

He claimed that evidence establishing key links in the murder to
retired general Veli Kucuk and lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz, who were both
given life sentences in the Ergenekon case, had been deliberately
erased by the police department.

“You cannot reach the data with writing petitions to the General
Staff, the gendarmerie, the National Intelligence Agency [MÄ°T], or the
Trabzon and Istanbul police departments,” he said. “[The court] should
order the handing over of the digital systems of those institutions
[to unveil the links].” Another lawyer of the Dink family, Fethiye
Cetin, is set to release a book on the court process of the Dink case,
in which she claims the MÄ°T played a role in the assassination.

Halavurt said that the claims in the book “Utanc Duyuyorum: Hrant Dink
Cinayeti Yargısı” (“I Feel Ashamed: The Judgment of the Hrant Dink
Murder) that the killing order was given by MÄ°T with an encrypted
message, were well established. “Public opinion is aware that the
MÄ°T, as an institution, played a role in the Dink murder, and there
is evidence in the court files,” he said.

September/11/2013

DIYARBAKıR CHURCH TO DISPLAY ARMENIAN LEGACY

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Sept 10 2013

DÄ°YARBAKIR – Anadolu Agency

One of Diyarbakır’s most famous churches, the Armenian church of
Surp Giragos, is set to become a city museum hosting artwork and
artifacts depicting the Armenian history in the city.

Earlier, the Hurriyet Daily News reported that Diyarbakır Metropolitan
Mayor Osman Baydemir and Surp Giragos Armenian Foundation President
Ergun Ayık had signed a protocol to turn the church, which was
recently restored and opened to prayer, into a museum.

According to the protocol, the church’s Hıdır Ä°lyas section will
be given to the municipality and converted into a museum featuring
belongings and ethnographic artifacts.

Ayık said the church was the largest church in the Middle East but was
in ruins until it was restored and reopened to worship three years ago.

Noting that the church was surrounded by many famous buildings and
artifacts in the city, Ayık said, “The representatives are evaluating
the buildings around the church.”

The Diyarbakır City Museum will display Armenian heritage and
Armenian art. “We are currently meeting with the municipality and we
have signed a protocol to open this part,” Ayık said.

“We will first collect artifacts before decorating the museum. The
decorations and the curation will be made according to the artifacts,”
said Ayık, noting that there would be information about the family,
social and cultural life of Armenians.

Letters from Lice

Very few artifacts have survived over the past 100 years, but Ayık
said they were able to collect letters from 1913 from a family who
lived in the province’s Lice district, as well as kitchen appliances,
musical instruments and other examples of writings from elsewhere.

During the last 100 years, many artifacts that belonged to Armenian
families have been lost, he said. “We are currently collecting
artifacts to display in the museum. This is the first time that
something like this has happened in Turkey, and many people are
approaching this with suspicion.”

The written documents are very valuable because they reflect the
lifestyle of Armenians at the time, he said. “We have collected
these documents from Turkey and also from foreign countries. We have
succeeded in collecting these artifacts.”

Noting that there were also many financial documents, Ayık said
these revealed the debts and the trade that Armenians had in history.

Artifacts in Istanbul

The artifacts that have been collected have been sent to Istanbul to
be analyzed and researched.

Collecting the data and the artifacts has taken a long time, he said,
adding that the job was an important task that only professionals
could do.

After analyzing the works, the artifact will be sent to the museum
for display.

Surp Giragos, which boasts seven altars, originally had an earthen
roof, although a new roof of wood was subsequently erected over the
restored church. It was closed in 1915-1916 before being returned to
the local Armenian community in 1960.

A new bell that was made for the reopened church was made in Russia
especially for the place of worship.

September/10/2013