The Turkish Super Cup final between Galatasaray and Saudi Arabia’s Fenerbahce has been postponed due to disagreements between the club and the host country’s authorities.
The match was scheduled to kick off at 17:45 GMT, but was called off at 19:444 due to thousands of fans filling Riyadh’s Al Awal Stadium. The Turkish Football Association and the club blamed “institutional problems”. The match after authorities rejected a banner mentioning Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the revered father of modern Turkey. Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe were supposed to appear in the showdown between Turkish league and cup winners with banners bearing President Ataturk’s words: “Peace at home, peace in the world,” but Saudi authorities This was not allowed.
Players wearing T-shirts with Atatürk’s photo were also not allowed to enter the field. Ataturk launched a program of revolutionary social and political reforms to modernize Turkey and served as its first president from 1923 until his death in 1938. These reforms included the emancipation of women, the abolition of all Islamic institutions, the introduction of Western legal systems, clothing, calendars, and alphabets, and the replacement of Arabic script with Latin script. Galatasaray and Fenerbahce executives met with Turkish Football Federation (TFF) president Mehmet Buyuksi before announcing the decision. A joint statement from TFF and the club said: “This postponement has been decided jointly with the club.
” We would like to thank the host country’s football association and relevant organizations for their support. ” Riyadh Season, the organizer of the match, said: “We look forward to holding the match on time and in accordance with the international football rules and regulations that this sport demands. No slogan was presented outside the framework, especially since this was discussed with the Turkish Association as part of the preparatory meeting for the match. “Despite this agreement, it was unfortunate that the match was not played as both teams did not abide by the agreement.
Both teams returned to Turkey on Saturday and were greeted by hundreds of cheering fans who gathered outside Istanbul and Sabiha Gökcen airports, waving Turkish flags and holding pictures of Ataturk. The decision to stage the match in Saudi Arabia was criticized within Turkey as 2023 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the modern Republic of Turkey. Turkish Super Lig clubs Samsunspor and Besiktas have asked for the match to be held at their home stadium. In mid-December, all Turkish leagues were suspended after referee Halil Umut Meler was assaulted by MKE Ankaraguk president Faruk Koca.