‘T-shirt row’ causes Saudi Arabia-based Turkish Super Cup final to be postponed
The Turkish Super Cup final between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce scheduled to be played in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, on Friday was postponed over what the clubs have described as “some problems” in the event’s organisation.
At the heart of those issues, according to media reports, was the wish of the two teams to wear T-shirts featuring the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, during the warm-up before the evening kick-off.
Turkish media said Saudi officials had rejected this demand, though it was not clear why, and that the clubs refused to play in the Super Cup final at the King Saud University venue, which is also known as Al-Awwal Park, as a result.
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The incident came amid a recent warming of relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, visited Saudi Arabia in July amid efforts to repair diplomatic ties following the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul.
The cancellation of the final added to what has been a controversy-filled month for Turkish football. The president of top-tier club Ankaragucu, Faruk Koca, was arrested on 12 December for punching a referee in the face at the end of a match. The TFF imposed a permanent ban on Koca, who has since resigned, and also sanctioned Ankaragucu.
The Turkish league was temporarily suspended due to the violence and when it resumed Istanbulspor walked off the pitch in protest at a refereeing decision during a Super Lig game against Trabzonspor. The game was then abandoned.