Turkish Super Cup final between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh postponed due to "disruptions in the organisation" with some fans already in the Al-Awwal Park Stadium; match coincided with the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the secular Turkish Republic
Friday 29 December 2023 20:28, UK
The Turkish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia has been postpone due to "disruptions in the organisation", the Turkish Football Federation, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce have confirmed.
Turkish media has been reporting on Friday about ongoing disagreements between the Saudi Arabian and Turkish Football Federations (TFF) over how the clubs would be able to celebrate the 100th anniversary of their country and the TFF's creation.
According to AP Sport, various media publications in the country said Fenerbahce and Galatasaray players wanted to wear shirts pictured with modern Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk during the warm-up in Riyad but were not authorised by the Saudi organisers.
In a joint statement, the clubs and TFF said: "In order to celebrate the 100th anniversary of our Republic and the Turkish Football Federation abroad, we organise with our clubs in a way that will contribute to the brand value of Turkish Football and our clubs.
"The 2023 Super Cup competition, which was planned to be played on Friday December 29, 2023, at 20.45, has been postponed to a later date as a result of the joint decision we made with our clubs, due to some disruptions in the organisation.
"We would like to thank the Football Federation and relevant institutions and organizations of the host country for the efforts they have made so far in the organization of the Super Cup."
The oil-rich kingdom has moved in recent years to stage more international games and tournaments ahead of the men's World Cup it is all but certain to host in 2034.
Spain and Italy are set to stage their Super Cups in Saudi Arabia in January.
The postponement of the final added to what has been a controversy-filled month for Turkish soccer.
The president of top-tier club Ankaragucu, Faruk Koca, was arrested on December 12 for punching a referee in the face at the end of a match.
The TFF imposed a permanent ban on Koca 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 in a Super Lig game against Trabzonspor. The game was then abandoned.
The Turkish Super Cup is contested every year between the Turkish Super Lig champions and the Turkish Cup winners.
Galatasaray won the title last season, and bitter rivals Fenerbahce lifted the cup, with Riyadh's Al-Awwal Park the venue for this year's Super Cup showpiece
Trabzonspor were last year's winners, beating Sivasspor 4-0 at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul.
