Turkey pulls out of Dubai tournament

Turkey have pulled out of an international football tournament in Dubai after deciding that the organization of the event was not serious enough for the World Cup semi-finalists.

The Turkish national team was scheduled to be in Dubai between January 3 and 8 both for a training camp and for the tournament.

Team manager Can Cobanoglu told Anatolia news agency on Tuesday that he had returned home unsatisfied after a two-day inspection of the facilities.

"The Turkish national team cannot go to such an unserious camp. It cannot participate in tournaments just to earn money either, as others do. What matters first is the principles of the team," Cobanoglu said.

"We have to think about everything -- the organization, the hotel, the pitches... In the end, we decided that this event does not match the seriousness of our national team and we cancelled it," he said.