NICOSIA — The head of the breakaway Turkish Cypriot soccer association says he’s determined to follow through with a decision to join the ranks of the Cyprus Football Association that would do away with decades of isolation.

Hasan Sertoglu says he’s already dispatched a letter notifying FIFA that the Cyprus Turkish Football Association is bringing its statutes in line with international norms. He said that will enable them to join the FIFA and UEFA recognized Cyprus FA.

Sertoglu lashed out at critics he says are trying to undermine the move because they see it as a blow to Turkish Cypriot autonomy in the ethnically divided country.

He told a news conference March 30 that the move is not political but that it’s being done “for the future of our youth.”