The Turkish Super Cup final between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce has been cancelled amid a controversial dispute between the clubs and the hosts in Saudi Arabia.
The two rivals were set to play each other in the annual meeting of the Turkish Super Lig champions and the Turkish Cup winners at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh on Friday evening.
However, media reports emerged alleging that Saudi authorities had stopped the Turkish national anthem from being played and had prohibited players from wearing T-shirts featuring images of the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatur, during their warm-up.
2023 is the 100th anniversary of Ataturk founding the Turkish republic.
The Turkish Football Federation, who had been heavily criticised for moving the game to Saudi Arabia, moved to shut down speculation surrounding the game earlier in the day labelling it “disinformation”.
Kamuoyuna Duyuru pic.twitter.com/mvDErucoIS
— Galatasaray SK (@GalatasaraySK) December 29, 2023
However, with kick-off approaching and supporters already inside the stadium the decision was made for the match to not be played as originally planned.
A statement on behalf of both clubs as well as the federation said a “joint decision” had been made to “postpone to a later date”.
It is not yet clear when or where the game will be replayed.
The cancellation comes against a backdrop of a difficult few weeks for Turkish football.
League games in the country were suspended earlier this month after a referee in a top-flight match was punched by a club president at the end of a game.
Faruk Koca, president of Super Lig side MKE Ankaragucu, ran on to the field and hit referee Halil Umut Meler after a draw against Caykur Rizespor.
Meler was left hospitalised after being knocked to the floor by Koca, whose team had conceded a 97th-minute equaliser in a 1-1 draw. Koca went on to resign from his position.
Upon the resumption of matches on December 19, the game between Istanbulspor and Trabzonspor was suspended and later abandoned when the hosts’ president took his team off the field in protest at a refereeing decision.
GO DEEPER
The day Turkish football descended into chaos – and why it was grimly inevitable
(Ali Atmaca/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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