The Turkish Super Cup final between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce scheduled to be played in Saudi Arabia has been cancelled.
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Turkish Super Cup final cancelled Was set to be played in Saudi Arabia Teams not allowed to wear Ataturk jerseys Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?
Following an agreement between the Saudi government and the Turkish Football Federation, Al-Awwal Park Stadium in Riyadh was selected to host the match. However, the Saudi authority forbade the two teams from warming up in Mustafa Kemal Ataturk t-shirts, the man who founded modern Turkey, hours before the game was scheduled to begin.
AdvertisementWHAT THE CLUBS AND TURKISH FEDERATION SAID
The Turkish Football Federation, in accordance with Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, announced on X: "It is announced to the public, in order to celebrate the 100th anniversary of our Republic and the Turkish Football Federation abroad, we organize with our clubs in a way that will contribute to the brand value of Turkish Football and our clubs.
"The 2023 Super Cup competition, which was planned to be played on Friday, December 29, 2023 at 20.45, has been postponed to a later date as a result of the joint decision we made with our clubs, due to some disruptions in the organization.
"We would like to thank the Football Federation and relevant institutions and organizations of the host country for the efforts they have made so far in the organization of the Super Cup."
(C)Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
The game was set to be played on the 100th anniversary of Ataturk's revolutionary reforms that laid the groundwork for the secular Turkish Republic. Additionally, it was hinted that Turkey's national flag and anthem would not be permitted; however, the TFF refuted this. With the match postponed, it may very likely go ahead in Turkey itself as 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 Mayis Stadium, the home of Samsunspor.
WHAT NEXT?
The teams will now head back to Turkey for their league games with Fenerbahce taking on Istanbulspor while Galatasaray face Konyaspor on January 7.
