January 2 – Turkey and Saudi Arabia are blaming each other for the embarrassing last-minute abandonment of the Turkish Super Cup final between arch-rivals Galatasaray and Fenerbahce which had been due to take place in Riyadh last Friday.
The game was the latest high-profile fixture involving overseas teams to be trumpeted by the Saudis in their efforts, despite widespread condemnation of their human rights record, to cement their reputation as an elite organiser of sports events.
But it was called off when they refused allow players to wear shirts bearing political slogans.
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) and the two teams – who returned to Istanbul on Saturday – said the decision was made because of “organisational disruption”.
Turkish media said players wanted to wear T-shirts that featured an image of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the modern Turkish republic, during a pre-match warm-up but were not authorised to do so by Saudi organisers.
They also reported that Saudi authorities did not allow banners featuring political slogans and Ataturk T-shirts to be displayed ahead of the match.
Organisers countered that the cancellation was the result of the teams not adhering to match regulations.
“We had been looking forward to holding the match on time in accordance with the international football rules and regulations which require presenting the sport without any slogans outside its scope, especially since this was discussed with the Turkish [Football] Federation in the framework of the preparatory meetings for the match,” a statement said.
“Despite this consensus, it was unfortunate that the two teams did not adhere to what had been agreed upon, which led to the match not being held.”
There has been no announcement yet on where or when the final will now be held.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attempted to play down the row. “For whatever reason, turning sports into an appetiser for daily political rivalry is wrong, misguided and does not do our sports any good,” he said.
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