Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, Turkiye’s two biggest clubs, refused to play the Turkish Super Cup in Riyadh after drawing the line against Saudi demands. Both clubs have stated that “a red line is drawn” regarding the national anthem and the founding father of Turkiye, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Also, teams and fans weren’t allowed to wear shirts celebrating the nation’s 100th birthday. The cream on top was the refusal by the locals to place Turkish flags in the stadium.
Saudi FA wanted to play the Saudi national anthem instead of the Turkish one, which was the beginning of discussions between the Saudi and Turkish FA. Ultimately, the clubs made the decision easier by refusing to play the game.
Why was the game in Saudi Arabia?
Football fans will have noticed a lot of leagues have been playing their domestic Super Cup matches in Riyadh as part of what is collectively known as the Riyadh Season. The Turkish FA wanted some of the money, so agreed to play the match during the mid-season in the hope of getting a piece of the pie. Despite receiving a lot of criticism, the TFF pushed it forward nonetheless.
What happens now?
As of writing, the TFF chairman, Mehmet Buyukeksi and the club chairmen Dursun Ozbek (Galatasaray) and Ali Koc (Fenerbahce), have been in a meeting that has exceeded six hours already.
The game will likely be played in its traditional location in Turkiye. There is no chance that either team will play a game in a country that doesn’t respect its traditions and requirements.
At a time when the entire world of football has been selling its soul for money, it is a breath of fresh air to see two teams stand up for what is right by their stance. The problem is that the clubs had agreed to play the game in Riyadh and accepted the terms months ago. Unfortunately, it seems only the money was discussed and none of the important aspects of the event.
In addition, new issues occurred after the clubs wanted a minute’s silence in honour of their recently fallen soldiers. This was refused by the Saudi officials.
At this moment in time, Turkish football is at a loss it seems.
Something needs to be done, but one thing is for sure, this invite to Saudi Arabia will not come again to the Turks for a while. To have a strict nation like Saudi Arabia host a game from a nationalistic nation like Turkiye was always going to lead to issues.
Guess it’s nice to see that some things are more important than money.
Shame it wasn’t weeks ago.
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