Call for unity as England team arrives in Turkey

England’s football team were trying to leave the turmoil of the last week at home today as they focused on the game in Turkey.

David Beckham and his team left Luton Airport for the crucial Euro 2004 qualifier under a cloud after a week of football controversy surrounding the team and the Premiership’s highly paid stars.

But as they arrived at Istanbul Airport last night, there was more drama as one tearful young fan was barred from getting Beckham’s autograph.

The girl had slipped through the police cordon but was roughly pushed back from her hero by heavy-handed Turkish police.

A visibly distressed Beckham tried to go back to the youngster to give his autograph but he was stopped by security and led away to the team bus.

The young girl, clutching Beckham’s autobiography, was in tears.

One onlooker said: “It was disgraceful. The little girl just made a run for Beckham and was held back by the police.

“Beckham saw her coming and went towards her to give her his autograph. But then he was also stopped by the Turkish police officers.

“He looked really upset, close to tears. The whole scene was just disgraceful.”

The team coach then drove to the Hilltop Ritz-Carlton Hotel in central Istanbul amidst a massive security operation.

Britain's sports minister Richard Caborn yesterday called for fans to get behind the team as two England supporters travelling to the game were sent home from Turkey.

Mr Caborn said: “Football does a great deal of good in the community. It is our national game. The matters of this week have been dealt with.”

At a photo-call with the Turkish deputy ambassador, Irfan Acar, which was designed to cement the two nations’ friendship, he added: “We support the FA. We think we have a very good governing body.

“We now want to get behind England and hope we get away with a minimum of a draw. That’s what every England fan wants to see.

“I’m sure when they go out on Saturday every genuine fan will be behind the team.”

The British Home Office said yesterday that two people had been turned back at Istanbul airport.

A spokeswoman said: “They were advised at Manchester by police not to travel but they travelled anyway.

“They have been stopped at the airport in Istanbul and will be returned to England.

“This reinforces the message that people should not travel.”

Air passengers heading for Istanbul from British airports were subjected to intense questioning by police as to their reasons for visiting Turkey.

Officers asked why they were visiting Istanbul and if they intended going to the match.

Britons arriving at Istanbul were directed to special passport control lanes dedicated to them, and their passports were checked against lists of names.

English football hopes were dealt another blow yesterday when star striker Michael Owen was ruled out from travelling after failing to recover from a shin injury.

The team left for Turkey without the normal fanfare.

Instead the squad were branded petulant, arrogant and unpatriotic by the UK national press.

Angry fans across the country swamped radio phone-ins to criticise the players.

One station, talkSport was inundated with a record 18,000 callers as the proposed boycott was discussed.

The criticism came after the players threatened to go on strike and refuse to play the Turks in Istanbul.

It led to an 11th hour agreement on Wednesday night but the Football Association came under unprecedented criticism from the squad.

They blasted the FA over the decision to drop Rio Ferdinand for missing a drugs test.

Team captain David Beckham and the rest of the team told the FA it had “failed us very badly” over the treatment of Ferdinand.

Mark Palios, the FA’s chief executive, told a press conference on Wednesday night he felt the organisation had acted correctly throughout.

Team coach Sven Goran-Eriksson, the man in the middle, said the team would now focus “200%” on the crucial Turkey game.

Meanwhile, Ferdinand left his £2m (€2.8m) home yesterday to join the rest of the Manchester United squad for training as normal.

He has spoken of his “absolute devastation” at being left out for the game and insisted that he has never used or condoned drugs in sport or the rest of society.

Ferdinand is said to have forgotten to give a sample.

Eriksson’s team only need a point from their trip to Istanbul to qualify for the Euro 2004 finals in Portugal.

England fans hoping to attend the match in Turkey were urged today to behave sensibly.

Kevin Miles, international co-ordinator for Britain's Football Supporters’ Association, was speaking to GMTV from Istanbul.

He said: “If you are determined to try to see the game, just be sensible as possible.

“It does not look as though your chances are very good at the moment. The Turkish police are talking very strongly about cordons round the ground and that they are determined make sure that people’s identities are being checked and that they don’t get into the stadium unless they are Turkish.

“Clearly, personal safety of fans travelling here is a big issue and the temperature will rise in terms of tensions in the city over the course of the next 48 hours.

“If people behave sensibly then there should not be a threat to their personal safety but just because you manage to get a ticket – that’s really the easy bit – it does not guarantee you will be able to get into the stadium.”