Turkey bars public World Cup screening during university entrance exams

ISTANBUL – Turkey’s Interior Ministry has instructed governors nationwide not to permit the installation of giant public screens for the national team’s World Cup match against Paraguay, citing the need to minimise noise and traffic disruption during the country’s university entrance examinations.

The local authorities had previously planned to broadcast Turkey’s Group D match against Paraguay on June 20 on large outdoor screens in a number of cities.

The ministry directive, issued ahead of the Higher Education Institutions Examination (YKS) due this weekend, has prompted local municipalities to cancel giant-screen broadcasts.

The game is scheduled to be held at 6am local time on June 20.

The authorities said that the measure aims to ensure that students sitting the exam are not adversely affected by noise pollution or increased traffic congestion.

The YKS is Turkey’s nationwide university entrance examination and is taken annually by hundreds of thousands of students seeking admission to higher education institutions.

Football is hugely popular in the country of 86 million people, with the team making their first World Cup appearance since finishing third in 2002.

Turkey face a fight to make the knock-out stages after they were beaten 2-0 by Australia in their opening match, in a group which includes co-hosts the US.

The Australia match was broadcast on giant screens in Istanbul and elsewhere on June 15, drawing large crowds which filled parks, as well as an ancient amphitheatre in the southern Antalya province. AFP