Turkish Super Cup final in Riyadh postponed amid row

ISTANBUL: The Turkish Super Cup final between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce scheduled to be played in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh on Friday (Dec 29) was postponed over what the clubs 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 Istanbul teams to wear t-shirts featuring the founder of modern Türkiye, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, during the warm-up ahead of 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 stadium, as a result.

The match coincides with the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the secular Turkish Republic. There was no immediate comment from Saudi officials.

"The 2023 Super Cup ... has been postponed to a later date as a result of a joint decision we made with our clubs, due to some problems in its organisation," the two clubs and the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) said in a joint statement, issued on social medial platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

It was not clear where or when the final would be staged. The statement also thanked Saudi Arabia's football federation and authorities for the efforts they made to organise the event.

There has also been media reports that Türkiye's national anthem and flag would not be allowed at the final but the TFF earlier said they would feature.

The incident came amid a recent warming of relations between Türkiye and Saudi Arabia.

Türkiye's President Tayyip Erdogan visited Saudi Arabia in July amid efforts to repair ties that were ruptured after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in