March 21 – One of European football’s most bitterly contested derbies was called off Sunday when Turkish authorities cancelled the Galatasaray-Fenerbahçe clash in Istanbul about two hours before kickoff citing an unspecified threat.
A brief statement from the Istanbul governor’s office said the match was cancelled following “the assessment of serious intelligence” and that the decision was made following “the request and the agreement” of the two fierce rivals. Unconfirmed reports said there was a bomb threat at the stadium.
The decision came 24 hours after the latest suicide bombing in Turkey that killed four people and wounded dozens more in central Istanbul, the fourth such attack this year that has brought the death toll to more than 80 people.
Turkey’s national team also reportedly cancelled a training session ahead of international fixtures against Sweden and Austria, switching it to the city of Antalya.
Fans had already started entering the stadium for the Istanbul derby before it was evacuated. A new date will be announced in the coming days, the Turkish Football Federation said in a statement.
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