After Euro 2008, coach Terim faces tougher tasks ahead

Will coach Fatih Terim stay or not? That was the question every Turkish soccer fan was asking about the Turkey coach after he led the national team to third place in the Euro 2008 championship that ended over the weekend.

Now that this matter has been settled, the wisest thing to do now is to start thinking seriously about the 2010 World Cup that will be held in South Africa and the upcoming European Championship in 2012. And the onus falls directly on the shoulders of “Emperor” Terim, the man who loves hard work.

Turkey was drawn in Group E against Spain, Belgium, Bosnia, Armenia and Estonia in the World Cup qualifiers -- and the Turks play their opening match away against Armenia at Yerevan on Sept. 6.

The Spaniards, the reigning European champions, are rolling these days and only European No. 3 Turkey has enough guts to stop them from winning this group. So it’s almost a foregone conclusion: The battle for the top in this group will be between Turkey and Spain.

Qualifying with ease from this group will mean Turkey earning a berth in the 2010 World Cup proper. After having finished third in the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea and also placing third in the Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland, third place in another major soccer tournament is no longer enough for the demanding Turkish fans -- they want the championship itself.

This makes Terim’s job all the more difficult because he has to form a team capable of taking world soccer powerhouses by the horns in the World Cup and in Euro 2012 two years later.

Terim's team at Euro 2008 is likely to form the nucleus of the squads that will challenge for final places in the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012. The Turkish team proved in Switzerland and Austria that its meteoric rise is no fluke. Fans can only hope that its never-say-die spirit at Euro 2008 endures

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