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| Turkish Super Cup final in Saudi Authority postponed for Turkish national anthem and Ataturk t-shirts | Photo: X |
The Turkish Super Cup has been suspended after Saudi Arabia banned the playing of Turkey's national anthem and T-shirts bearing the slogan of Kemal Atatürk, the father of modern Turkey.
Since 1966, Turkey's two domestic football tournaments, the Turkish Super League and the Turkish Cup, have been organized for one match between the two champion teams. Most of the matches were played on their own ground. The previous four were abroad, three times in Germany and once in Qatar.
This was the 50th edition of the Turkish Super Cup. This was the first game to be played in Saudi Arabia. The players of the two participating clubs, Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, walked off the field after the Saudi authorities did not allow them to sing the Turkish national anthem and wear T-shirts with Kemal Atatürk slogans during the summer; Although the organizers claimed, the club did not follow the rules for the two matches. The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has yet to announce when and where the postponed match will take place last night.
Kamuoyuna duyurulur,
— TFF (@TFF_Org) December 29, 2023
Cumhuriyetimizin ve Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu’nun 100. Yılını yurtdışında da kutlamak amacıyla, Türk Futbolunun marka değerine ve kulüplerimize katkı sağlayacak şekilde kulüplerimizle organize ettiğimiz,
29 Aralık 2023 Cuma günü saat 20.45’te oynanması…
The Turkish media reported that the Turkish Super Cup was supposed to be held at Al-Awal Park Stadium in the Saudi capital Riyadh at 11:45 PM yesterday. The 25,000-capacity stadium also had a large crowd. However the Saudi authorities did not meet the demands of Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, so the two clubs decided not to play together.
Turkish media also reported that not only was the national anthem not allowed to be sung and T-shirts bearing Kemal Atatürk's famous slogan 'Peace at Home, Peace Outside' were banned, but spectators were also not allowed to enter the stadium with the Turkish national flag.
The TFF, however, did not give any specific reason for the postponement of the Super Cup. The agency wrote on social media, 'Due to some institutional issues, the 2023 Super Cup has been postponed.
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| Saudi authorities did not allow the Turkish national anthem to be played | Photo: X |
The new date of the game will be announced after a discussion with both clubs. Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe also did not give a specific reason for the postponement of the match in a joint statement.
However, according to the Saudi state TV channel, the game was canceled due to two teams not following the rules. In a statement, the organizing committee said, 'We were looking forward to organizing the match on time as per the rules of international football.
The rules clearly state that no slogans can be used on the field. It has also been discussed with the Turkish Football Federation in the preparatory meeting for organizing the match.
The organizing authority, the Turkish Football Federation, and the club did not reveal the specific reason for the postponement of the two matches, but news agency Reuters believes that recent heated relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia may have led to the incident.
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| Spectators were not allowed to enter the field with Turkish flags | Photo: X |
In 2018, journalist Jamal Khashoggi was brutally murdered at the Saudi consulate in Turkey's largest city, Istanbul. The responsibility for the murder, which was discussed around the world, was given to the Saudi Crown Prince and the current Prime Minister of the country, Mohammed bin Salman. US intelligence agencies claim that Salman ordered the killing of Khashoggi.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Saudi Arabia in July this year to thaw the cold relations between the two countries. At that time several agreements were signed between the two countries. Saudi Arabia also announced the purchase of drones from Turkey.
The door to host the Turkish Super Cup for the first time in Saudi Arabia was also opened. But with the postponement of the match yesterday, the relationship between the two countries has become a new rift.