It is not yet clear where and when the Turkish Super Cup final between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce will be played.
Turkish Super Cup final in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia was canceled on Friday with thousands of spectators already in the stadium.
Istanbul football giants Galatasaray and Fenerbahce were supposed to meet in a match where the champions of the previous season’s Turkish Premier League and Cup are playing.
However, the match was canceled due to a dispute between the clubs and the Saudi organizers.
The players of the Turkish clubs were going to wear t-shirts with the name of the founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk picture.
The organizers banned the use of shirts. In addition, the Turkish teams planned to arrive on the field carrying a sign with Atatürk’s words: “Peace at home, peace in the world”, but the hosts denied it.
This year marks the centenary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey and Atatürk’s rise to power.
Atatürk took Islamic Turkey in a more Western and secular direction than before, which was reflected in changes in, for example, the judiciary, clothing and the Latin alphabet that replaced the Arabic alphabet.
Saudi Arabia adheres more strictly to Islamic customs than Turkey.
The leaders of Galatasaray and Fenerbahce met the president of the Turkish Football Association Mehmet Buyukeksin with and ended up moving the meeting to another time.
The match was canceled well over an hour after the scheduled start time. It is not yet clear where and when the match will be played.
Organizing organization was disappointed to the situation.
– We expected to be able to organize the match according to international football laws without slogans outside the sport, especially when this was discussed in advance with the Turkish Football Association.
– Despite the agreement, the teams unfortunately did not stick to the agreed rules, which led to the match not being played.
The incident is already the third in December in Turkish football.
December 11 Ankaragucu chairman Faruk Koca punched the referee after the final whistle of the main league match against Rizespor Halil Umut Meleri.
As a result of the incident, the series was suspended for a good week. In the round immediately following Koca’s hit, the chairman of the series jumbo Istanbulspor Ecmel Faik Sarialioglu was frustrated by the situation that led to the opponent Trabzonspor’s goal and marched to his team’s dressing room in the 73rd minute, and the match was not played out.