Galatasaray vs Fenerbahce 'cancelled' in Saudi Arabia as teams refuse to play

29 December 2023 , 18:23

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Friday's Turkish Super Cup final between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce has been cancelled (Image: Getty)

The Turkish Super Cup final between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce has been called off after the two sides refused to play due to the Saudi Arabian authorities refusing permission for them to honour Turkey's founder Ataturk.

After a deal between the Turkish Football Federation and the Saudi authorities, the game was set to be held at Al-Awwal Park Stadium in Riyadh. But hours before the match was due to kick-off, the Saudis banned the two sides from wearing t-shirts featuring the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, during their warm-ups.

The game coincides with the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the secular Turkish Republic by a series of progressive reforms led by Ataturk. There were also suggestions that Turkey's national anthem and flag would not be allowed, though this was denied by the TFF.

The TFF said in a statement earlier on Friday: "The Super Cup match will start in the presence of our Turkish flag, 100th Anniversary Celebration events, a moment of silence for our martyrs and our National Anthem to be read by the artist Norm Ender. Please do not pay attention to the disinformation on this subject."

But it appears the two teams have indeed refused to play, with Galatasaray vice-president Erden Timur saying: “We did what was necessary. We are returning to our country. No one can ignore our values."

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Manager Okan Buruk added: “The match will not be played, we are returning.” It was not immediately clear why the Saudi authorities had denied permission for the teams to honour Ataturk, though the row over playing the game in the Middle East state has been brewing for some time.

Back in November, Fenerbahce put forward a motion at a board meeting for the match to be held to be played at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul, the venue for last season's Champions League final, or the Samsun 19 Mayıs Stadium, the home of Samsunspor.

While fans entered the stadium, the teams were conspicuous by their absence (Ali Atmaca/Anadolu via Getty Images))

Samsun, on the Black Sea coast, was where Ataturk launched the war of independence and went on to establish the Turkish Republic from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire. According to the club, the proposal was accepted unanimously.

The issue was also discussed at a Galatasaray board meeting, with the reigning Super Lig champions insisting the match should be played "in the Turkish homeland, which our ancestors won and protected with their blood, lives, ideas and wisdom."

They also claimed they wanted young people to "watch the match in the lands they own and experience this feeling within the borders of the Republic of Turkey in the 100th anniversary of our Republic, with national consciousness, regardless of which team they support."

Jacob Leeks