The match for the Turkish Super Cup between Fenerbahce and Galatasaray in Saudi Arabia did not take place. Local authorities banned players from entering the field with Ataturk quotes

Duel for Turkish Super Cup between Fenerbahce And Galatasaraywhich was supposed to take place today in the capital of Saudi Arabia Riyadhpostponed indefinitely.

The reason for the conflict is the position of the host country authorities, who did not allow teams to wear T-shirts with quotes from Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, on the day of its centenary celebration.

It is also reported that the host side did not allow the Turkish national anthem to be played before the match and posters with images of Ataturk to be displayed. In response to this, as Turkish media reported, Galatasaray said that the players would not take the field without the anthem.

A Galatasaray spokesman said the team planned to warm up wearing T-shirts specially designed to celebrate the republic’s centenary, with Atatürk’s quote “How happy is he who says he is a Turk.” Fenerbahçe President Ali Koç, in turn, said that his team was going to go out with the slogan “peace at home, peace in the world”, which belonged to the aforementioned historical figure, but Saudi officials did not allow this either.

The match was supposed to start at 19:45 Kyiv time, however, apparently, the players did not even get to the stadium and stayed in hotels. At the same time, an urgent meeting was held with the participation of the presidents of Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, as well as the head of the Turkish Football Federation, Mehmet Buyukeksi.

It is expected that in the near future the clubs will make a joint statement regarding the current “crisis” situation.

In the Turkish Super League, Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray are confidently in the lead, having scored 44 points each and are far ahead of their pursuers. In terms of goal difference, the Yellow Canaries are ahead of the Lions.