Turkish Super Cup final in Saudi cancelled before kickoff،
The Turkish Super Cup final between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, scheduled for Friday in the Saudi capital Riyadh, has been canceled due to a conflict between the clubs and Saudi authorities, Turkish television channel NTV announced.
Both teams indicated that the final had been postponed, due to “some problems” in the organization of the event.
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The announcement was made in a joint statement from the two Istanbul clubs and the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), published on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
It was reported that Galatasaray and Fenerbahce said they would not play the final at Al-Awwal Park stadium if they were not allowed to wear T-shirts bearing the image of the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, during the warm-up before the match. .
Turkish media said Saudi officials rejected the request, although it was not clear why. The match coincides with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the secular Turkish Republic. There was no immediate comment from Saudi officials.
Media reports also reported that the Turkish national anthem and flag would not be allowed in the final, but the TFF had earlier announced that they would feature.
The incident occurred against the backdrop of a recent warming of relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan visited Saudi Arabia in July as part of efforts to repair ties severed after the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul in 2018.
The reported cancellation of the final added to what has been a controversy-filled month for Turkish football.
The president of top-flight club Ankaragucu, Faruk Koca, was arrested on December 12 for punching a referee in the face at the end of a match.
The TFF imposed a permanent ban on Koca and also sanctioned Ankaragucu.
The Turkish league was temporarily suspended due to the violence, and when it resumed, Istanbulspor walked off the field to protest a refereeing decision in a Super Lig match against Trabzonspor. The game was later abandoned.
