Turkish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia postponed over banner row

ISTANBUL

The Turkish Super Cup final between Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, scheduled to be played in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh on Friday, was postponed due to "some problems in the organization," with the joint decision of the clubs, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) said in a statement.

Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, the prominent football clubs in Türkiye, were expected to arrive at the highly anticipated event that would showcase the clash between the nation's league champions and cup winners. However, the Saudi authorities prohibited the display of banners featuring the words of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the revered founder of modern Türkiye, "Peace at home, peace in the world."

Players are also prohibited from wearing T-shirts featuring Atatürk's image on the pitch.

“Saudi Arabian officials, who hosted the organization, opposed the Atatürk and Republic concept banners, t-shirts, videos, and the 100th anniversary march prepared specially for this match by the TFF and the clubs, calling them ‘political,'” said daily Hürriyet’s sports editor Mehmet Arslan.

TFF and the clubs have attributed the challenges in coordinating the match to "organizational issues" following the Saudi authorities' decisions.

Top executives from Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe convened with Mehmet Buyukekşi, the president of the TFF, in a gathering before the announcement.

In a joint statement, TFF and the affiliated clubs have announced a collective decision to postpone the scheduled event.

The Turkish football governing body expressed gratitude towards the Saudi Football Federation and other relevant institutions for their efforts in organizing the Super Cup.