Riyadh, Saudi Arabia–The Turkish SuperCup in Riyadh between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce scheduled Friday was postponed at the last minute after Saudi organisers refused to allow players to wear jerseys bearing “political slogans”.
“The match has been cancelled. The match will not take place,” announced the commentator on the Saudi sports television channel SSC.
According to Turkish media, both teams wanted to warm up wearing shirts bearing the image of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern-day Turkey, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the republic.
Given the refusal of Saudi organisers to allow such a gesture, the fierce Istanbul rival teams and the Turkish football federation decided to postpone the match that was to be played at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh.
Galatasaray and Fenerbahce were expected to arrive for the showpiece between Turkey’s league champions and cup winners with banners bearing Ataturk’s words “Peace at home, peace in the world”, which the Saudi authorities would not allow.
The players were also not allowed on to the pitch wearing T-shirts bearing Ataturk’s image.
Ataturk launched a programme of revolutionary social and political reform to modernise Turkey, serving as its first president from 1923 until his death in 1938.
These reforms included the emancipation of women, the abolition of all Islamic institutions and the introduction of Western legal codes, dress, calendar and alphabet, replacing the Arabic script with a Latin one.
Senior officials at Galatasaray and Fenerbahce held a meeting with Turkish Football Federation (TFF) president Mehmet Buyukeksi before the decision was announced.