This blog post was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

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Leigh Turner

Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna

Part of UK in Turkey

26th February 2014

Chelsea – and Galatasaray – and Football – are GREAT

What is more exciting than football?

The answer, if you are a fan of any of Istanbul’s great clubs is: nothing.  As the famous Liverpool football manager, Bill Shankly, once said:

“Some people believe football is a matter of life and death.  I am very disappointed with that attitude.  I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.”

So we at the Consulate-General were thrilled and grateful when Chelsea FC, who are visiting Istanbul to play Galatasaray on 26 February, agreed to appear with some of our “Sport is GREAT” images as they prepared for the big match – see below.  Terrific stuff.

As a Manchester United fan (sigh) I can reasonably wish both Galatasaray and Chelsea the best of luck in this match.  I hope it is brilliant.

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Meanwhile, Chelsea fans and anyone else visiting Istanbul or the rest of Turkey should pay close attention to our latest updated travel advice.

About Leigh Turner

I hope you find this blog interesting and, where appropriate, entertaining. My role in Vienna covers the relationship between Austria and the UK as well as the diverse work of…

I hope you find this blog interesting and, where appropriate, entertaining. My role in Vienna covers the relationship between Austria and the UK as well as the diverse work of the UN and other organisations; stories here will reflect that.

About me: I arrived in Vienna in August 2016 for my second posting in this wonderful city, having first served here in the mid-1980s. My previous job was as HM Consul-General and Director-General for Trade and Investment for Turkey, Central Asia and South Caucasus based in Istanbul.

Further back: I grew up in Nigeria, Exeter, Lesotho, Swaziland and Manchester before attending Cambridge University 1976-79. I worked in several government departments before joining the Foreign Office in 1983.

Keen to go to Africa and South America, I’ve had postings in Vienna (twice), Moscow, Bonn, Berlin, Kyiv and Istanbul, plus jobs in London ranging from the EU Budget to the British Overseas Territories.

2002-6 I was lucky enough to spend four years in Berlin running the house, looking after the children (born 1992 and 1994) and doing some writing and journalism.

To return to Vienna as ambassador is a privilege and a pleasure. I hope this blog reflects that.

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