A scandal among the authorities: Galatasaray and Fenerbahce boycott the Super Cup final

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Turkish football cannot calm down. The Super Cup final between champion Galatasaray and cup winner Fenerbahce, which should have taken place on Friday evening in Saudi Arabia, was canceled at short notice. The teams jointly decided not to compete.

The reason: a conflict over different values ​​with the Saudi authorities. Both Galatasaray and Fenerbahce planned to wear special warm-up shirts in honor of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of Türkiye, is printed on the jerseys.

Because Saudi Arabia does not allow religious or political symbols in public, the Saudis rejected the Turkish clubs’ plan and banned the wearing of the shirts. Political banners are also prohibited. Too much for Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, who did not even make the trip to the stadium at the time.

Teams already on their way home

A statement published together by the two teams shortly afterwards said: “The 2023 Super Cup, which was scheduled for Friday, December 29, 2023, has been postponed to a later date due to a joint decision by our clubs. due to some organizational problems. » According to Turkish media, the two archrivals are already on their way home.

There were already discussions in advance about the location of the final in Turkey, which is currently not in the news. In early December, Faruk Koca (59), chairman of first division club MKE Ankaragücü, hit a referee with his fist after the match. A short time later, Istanbulspor president Faik Sarialioğlu caused problems again with a storm. (par)

Source : Blick