Turkey is so decimated by injury and suspension ahead of Wednesday's Euro 2008 semifinal against Germany it may resort to playing reserve keeper Tolga Zengin as an outfield player, according to coach Fatih Terim. “He could come on towards the end as a sub as last man (in defense) or a centre forward,” Terim said. “We can't allow ourselves the luxury of players choosing where they want to play,” said Terim, who has nine of his squad unavailable. But he is not worried about facing the three-time champion. “We have shown several times already that we can achieve the impossible. I have faith in my team and in our ability to reach the final,” said the man nicknamed “The Emperor.” Turkey's delight at reaching its first European championship semifinal took a big blow on Saturday when it was revealed their talismanic striker and caretaker captain Nihat Kahveci was extremely doubtful for Wednesday's clash. Numbers game The figures for fan zones, TV ratings and website page impressions at Euro 2008 continue to soar. After 24 games following the completion of the group stage, the fan zones in the eight cities in co-hosts Austria and Switzerland have held more than 2.5 million people, an increase of more than 1,100 percent from Euro 2004 in Portugal at the same stage of the tournament, UEFA said Thursday. In Vienna, 120,000 people were in the fan zone as Germany beat Austria 1-0 Monday, while a total of 150,000 fans watched from the fan zones in Bern as the Netherlands beat Italy 3-0 on June 9 and then defeated Romania 2-0 Tuesday. UEFA said that Italy's 2-0 win over France in Zurich on Tuesday had a TV market share of 75 percent in Italy, and the figures in the Netherlands have reached more than 80 percent for games involving the Dutch team. Meanwhile, the individual page impressions for the official Euro 2008 website have hit 792 million. Shopping time Women have spent at least $217 million at the European Championship, according to a study released Thursday that takes into account what females spend on football-related items and such things such as accommodation and transportation. “This research clearly demonstrates the rising financial significance of females in the football industry,” said Professor Simon Chadwick, who conducted the research. “Whether women are committed fans or spending elsewhere around the big games this summer, the fairer sex is making an important economic contribution. The football industry is waking up to the spending power of female supporters and is increasingly adapting their products to suit them.”
