The ELF Cup (Equality, Liberty, Fraternity) was an international football tournament organised by the Cyprus Turkish Football Federation (KTFF), a member of the NF-Board. It was played only once in 2006. Among the participants were NF-Board teams, and FIFA member teams from the Asian Football Confederation.

ELF Cup
Official Logo
Tournament details
Host countryNorth Cyprus
Dates19 November – 25 November
Teams8
Venue(s)1 (in 1 host city)
Final positions
Champions Northern Cyprus (1st title)
Runners-up Crimean Tatars
Third place Kyrgyzstan
Fourth place Zanzibar
Tournament statistics
Matches played16
Goals scored62 (3.88 per match)
Top scorer(s)Northern Cyprus Ertaç Taşkıran
(6 goals)

ELF Cup 2006

edit

The 2006 ELF Cup took place in the North Cyprus between November 19 and 25. Initially announced for non-FIFA teams only, the 2006 tournament also found places for three teams from the Asian Football Confederation - Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan. However, under pressure from FIFA, Afghanistan withdrew from the tournament. [1]

Controversy

edit

Initially, it was announced that the North Cyprus were to hold the inaugural VIVA World Cup tournament, organised by the NF-Board as a bi-annual competition for the best non-FIFA nations. However, a dispute between the NF-Board and a new regime at the KTFF led to the tournament being taken away and granted to Occitania. The NF-Board claimed that the new government of the North Cyprus insisted on restricting which nations could and could not take part. The KTFF, however, claimed that the NF-Board made unreasonable financial demands.[2]

In response, the KTFF announced that the ELF Cup would be held at the same time as the VIVA World Cup, and have promised to pay travelling expenses to the participants, which has attracted some NF-Board members. The KTFF hope that the tournament will bring North Cyprus further into the international arena.[3]

Competitors

edit

Results

edit

The eight participants were drawn into two groups of four, with the top two from each group progressing to the knockout stage. For details of the squads, see 2006 ELF Cup Squads.

Group A

edit
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
  Kyrgyzstan 3 2 0 1 7 2 +5 6
  Zanzibar 3 1 2 0 3 2 +1 5
  Greenland 3 1 1 1 3 2 +1 4
  Găgăuzia 3 0 1 2 2 9 –7 1

Găgăuzia  0–2  Greenland
Sandgreen   33'
Kreutzmann   68' (pen.)
Referee: Fahim Dayı (TRNC)

Kyrgyzstan  0–1  Zanzibar
Suleiman   9'
Referee: Aziz Dayı (TRNC)

Găgăuzia  1–6  Kyrgyzstan
Marcov   31' Mamatov   14', 37'
Kadyrov   19'
Sundeev   65', 90'
Ryskulov   75'

Greenland  1–1  Zanzibar
Kreutzmann   78' Omar   62'

Greenland  0–1  Kyrgyzstan
Kondratkov   24'
Referee: Cevdet Mertkaya (TRNC)

Găgăuzia  1–1  Zanzibar
Ceavdari   79' Muhammed   76'
Referee: Alkın Gedikoğlu (TRNC)

Group B

edit
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
  Northern Cyprus 3 3 0 0 20 1 +19 9
  Crimean Tatars 3 2 0 1 3 6 –3 6
  Tajikistan 3 1 0 2 5 7 –2 3
  Tibet 3 0 0 3 0 14 –14 0

Tibet  0–3  Tajikistan
Aknazarov   59', 67'
Faizullaev   65'
Referee: Abdullah Özsusuzlu (TRNC)

Crimean Tatars  0–5  Northern Cyprus
Çakır   16'
Taşkıran   45'
Ablitarov   65' (o.g.)
Uçaner   78'
Keleşzade   87'
Referee: Mehmet Malek (TRNC)

Tibet  0–1  Crimean Tatars
Ablâmetov   41' (pen.)
Referee: Ulus Sediral (TRNC)

Northern Cyprus  5–1  Tajikistan
Kolcu   34', 54'
Uçaner   65', 90+1'
Ulusoy   71'
Aknazarov   12'
Referee: Serkan Şimşek (TRNC)

Tajikistan  1–2  Crimean Tatars
Almukhamedov   45' Ametov   36'
Hayredinov   87'

Northern Cyprus  10–0  Tibet
Çakır   13', 30', 37'
Çukurovalı   14', 24', 43'
Selden   17', 29'
Arıkbuka   54'
Kansu   77'

Semi-finals

edit
Kyrgyzstan  2–3 (a.e.t.)  Crimean Tatars
Sundeev   90+2'
Mustafayev   102'
Emiratlı   18'
Ablâmetov   94' (pen.)
Akimov   97'
Referee: Mehmet Özbilgehan (TRNC)

Northern Cyprus  5–0  Zanzibar
Taşkıran   24', 34', 47', 83'
Ulusoy   59'
Referee: Savaş Tilki (TRNC)

3rd Place Playoff

edit
Kyrgyzstan  2–2  Zanzibar
Mamatov   55'
Riskulov   65'
Muhammed   28', 47'
Penalties
7–6

Final

edit
Northern Cyprus  3–1  Crimean Tatars
Çakır   1'
Sapsızoğlu   46'
Taşkıran   55'
Akimov   90+3'

2006 ELF Cup Winners
 
North Cyprus
First Title

Golden Team

edit
Goalkeepers Defenders Midfielders Forwards

  Hasan Piro

  Teller Mortensen
  Eller Aknazarov
  Hüseyin Amcaoğlu
  Serhan Önet

  Ulan Riskulov
  Hamis Çakır
  Derviş Kolcu
  Sale Juma

  Ertaç Taşkıran
  Muhammed Seyf Muhammed

Scorers

edit

Trivia

edit

See also

edit

Notes

edit
  1. ^ "Afghanistan has withdrawn from the tournament". Official ELF Cup website. Retrieved November 14, 2006.
  2. ^ Steve Menary (October 2006). "Worlds apart". World Soccer Magazine. p. 105.
  3. ^ "The alternative World Cup". BBC Online. November 7, 2006. Retrieved November 7, 2006.
  4. ^ "В поисках признания". football.ua.
edit