In his address at an event organised by the Board of Directors tonight. New Salamina Famagusta on the occasion of the 74th birthday of the association, at the "Pavlos Liazides" hall, in the Tsiakkiakilerou Quarter, Mr. Stefanou said that "New Salamina is the result of progressive thinking and creative action, which wants the playing fields open to all, accessible to all, which is not petty, vindictive and resentful and is based on timeless and universal ideals".
After stating that "Nea Salamina was born from ordinary people, for ordinary people", the AKEL General Secretary said that "it is for this that it was fought by the elites and the establishment, by the circles that want the field of sport to be included in the immoral games of micro-political and petty party interests, selfish interests and profit."
[/P]After stating that "Nea Salamina was born from ordinary people, for ordinary people", the AKEL General Secretary said that "it is for this that it was fought by the elites and the establishment, by the circles that want the field of sport to be included in the immoral games of micro-political and petty party interests, selfish interests and profit.
He added that "difficulties have always accompanied Nea Salamina, but its executives and members have never abandoned the ramparts, have not forgotten its roots and since 1974, during the refugee period, they have held high the flag of return".
Referring to the refugee associations that exist so many years after the Turkish invasion, Stefanou said that these, "especially the mass refugee associations, are the roots, the memories, the genetic code of all those people who were uprooted and have been living for so many decades with the expectation of return. But it is also the flame that keeps the memory unquenched, the one that passes from generation to generation, the one that grandparents talk about to their grandchildren, parents to their children."
Nea Salamina, he continued, "is for the people of Varosha a starting point, but also a destination, in spite of the time that fades memories, in spite of those who believe that the struggle for reunification is futile."
Nea Salamina, he continued, "is for the people of Varosha a starting point, but also a destination, in spite of the time that fades memories, in spite of those who believe that the struggle for reunification is futile. Some may have decided that we cannot look forward to a solution, or worse, they may have decided that partition suits us and are even negotiating it behind closed doors, but we stand firmly against these perceptions.
We, said the AKEL Secretary General, "e continue the struggle for reunification even more resolutely, we continue to fight to keep open the prospect of a solution, the prospect of returning back to our towns and villages. To return to Famagusta, where Turkey is trying to create new serious facts, violating relevant UN Resolutions, which further aggravate the prospect of a solution."
In his address, Mr. Stefanou said that "Nea Salamina is a club that promotes "fair play" not only in football but also in all the sports that it has cultivated from time to time and still cultivates, in volleyball, athletics and elsewhere."
He also noted that "we wanted to honour this history and the ideal of 'fair play' as AKEL when we decided that the Sports Prize awarded by the Party's Central Committee would bear the name of Niki Georgiou alongside and together with that of Kostas Limburis. A pioneer of Cypriot sport, a champion and fighter whose life example proved that behind the problems there are always solutions for society and the people."
According to Mr Stefanou, AKEL has "many times submitted specific proposals for the development of sport in our country and for the consolidation of the sporting edifice. For a sport with transparency and accountability, especially in football, which is the most mass and most competitive sport and in which there are very big economic interests."
He also explained that Cyprus "gave birth to many stories of militancy, determination, many stories where the weak stood up and changed things", adding that "this is how the history of Nea Salamina began, a history of 74 years" and wished that "the next big anniversary, the big celebration will take place in the cradle of Nea Salamina in Varosha".
Source:CNA
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
Source
