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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wanted to minimize the consequences of the postponement, as a result of the demands of the Saudi organizers, of the Turkish Super Cup that was to be held on Friday in Riyadh.
The match was due to be played between two Istanbul clubs, Gallatasaraji and Fenerbahce, but was postponed at the last minute after Saudi organizers refused to allow players to wear shirts with "political slogans", according to Saudi and Turkish media.
Both teams wanted to warm up wearing jerseys with the image of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Republic, Turkish media reported.
Atatürk's principles were not respected, Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray won the cup with pride. #MustafaKemalAtatürk #Galatasaray #Fenerbahçe #GSFB pic.twitter.com/KvUCND2Qt0
— Suat Özçağdaş (@Suat_Ozcagdas) December 29, 2023
Faced with the rejection of the organizers of Saudi Arabia, the two teams, as well as the Turkish Football Federation, decided to postpone the match. Since then, the Turkish FA has been criticized for deciding to play the match in Saudi Arabia instead of Turkey.
For its part, the Turkish opposition party CHP, founded by Ataturk, accused the government of failing to protect the honor of Turkey: "No blame should be placed on the clubs or the federation," said CHP leader Özgur Oçel. "The main culprit is Erdogan, who made Ataturk a bargaining chip."
But during a ceremony in Istanbul on Saturday, the Turkish president finally responded that "everyone knows who is defending the honor of Turkey and the Turkish people. Turning sport into a political issue," he added, "is wrong, unnecessary and serves no interest".
Relations between Riyadh and Ankara reached a standstill after the 2018 killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was highly critical of the Saudi regime. Their relations subsequently improved and Erdogan made an official visit to Saudi Arabia in 2022.
Saudi Arabia, for its part, wants to establish itself as a superpower in world sports, thanks to investments in football, but also in motor sports, golf, horse riding and boxing. Having just hosted the Club World Cup, which Manchester City won, it will host the Spanish Super Cup next month.
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