Galatasaray And Fenerbahçe Refuse To Play Super Cup In Saudi Arabia After Atatürk Banners Banned

A person from Turkey was seen holding their country's flag and a picture of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who created modern Turkey. This was happening at the Sabiha Gokcen Airport in Istanbul on December 30th, 2023. The Fenerbahce football team was arriving after their game with Galatasaray was cancelled in Riyadh the day before. The Saudi people in charge did not want players to wear clothing with "political messages." Both teams wanted to wear shirts with Ataturk's image on them to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Turkey's republic, but they were not allowed. This information was shared by Turkish media. A photographer captured this person with their flag and picture.

The match for the Turkish Super Cup scheduled to be held on Friday evening in Saudi Arabia was delayed. As a result of a dispute between the host nation authorities and the clubs Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, the game, which was expected to take place between the champions of the league and the winners of the cup, was postponed.

The match was supposed to be held in Al-Awwal Park located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. However, it got delayed as the Saudi government rejected the idea of displaying pictures of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of Turkey, on the t-shirts of players and flags held by fans in the audience.

The clubs and their supporters had intentions of exhibiting the renowned statement of Atatürk, "peace at home, peace in the world," which consequently was adopted as an approved element of the nation's international stance, as well as another quote by him, "how contented is the person who proclaims I am a Turk!"

The fact that the clubs and their supporters displayed Atatürk's picture and quotes was of significant significance since Turkey is observing its republic's hundredth anniversary. It was established by Atatürk, who governed as its inaugural president from 1923 until he died in 1938.

Initially, the teams were against playing the Super Cup in Turkey, but the TFF still arranged for the game to take place there.

During the month of November, the High Council Board of Fenerbahçe revealed their decision to approve an idea which suggested that the match should take place in either the Atatürk Olympic Stadium located in Istanbul or the Samsun 19 Mayıs Stadium situated in Samsun, instead of Saudi Arabia. They stated their reason to be that the country where the Cup was scheduled to be played did not align with the principles and revolutions of Atatürk.

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) had the opinion that organizing the Super Cup in Saudi Arabia would be advantageous to increase the recognition of the league. This will assist the TFF in attempting to attain the same status as other renowned European leagues such as Spain's La Liga, Italy's Serie A, and the English Premier League.

In November, TFF released a statement discussing their crucial initiatives to fortify the Turkish football economy and establish new revenue streams for their clubs.

Our goal is to increase our revenue by implementing fresh sponsorship and collaboration methods that showcase the reputation of our football to other countries, similarly to how the Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A execute this strategy.

No matter how UEFA ranks it, the Turkish league has many well-established clubs with passionate fans who clearly stick to their beliefs.

During December 30, 2023, the Galatasaray soccer club returned to Istanbul, Turkey, and many individuals congregated at the airport to welcome them back. The team had previously participated in the Super Cup against Fenerbahce in Riyadh, but the event was delayed. A photograph taken by Sercan Ozkurnazli and distributed through dia images via Getty Images captured the moment.

Although the clubs were initially hesitant, it seems that they would have proceeded with the game if they had been given permission to feature Atatürk's image and quotes as part of the hundred-year commemoration.

When the day of the game arrived, the clubs quickly found out that expressing certain emotions was not allowed. Consequently, they promptly left and returned home.

The clubs and the TFF made a joint statement that wasn't very clear, saying that the game was postponed because of problems with the organization. However, Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe were more direct when asked privately and off the record. They said that they didn't want to play the game because they weren't allowed to display any images or banners of Atatürk.

The Turkish clubs will be praised in their homeland for standing up for what they believe in, and they were warmly greeted as champions at the airport.

The occurrence might motivate other clubs or national teams that find themselves in comparable circumstances to make a statement.

The event managed to unite opponent teams, not just Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, but also their fellow rival in Istanbul, Beşiktaş, who proposed to host the rescheduled match at their own stadium.

Following the postponement of the game, Riyadh Season, an initiative that receives financial support from the Saudi Ministry of Tourism and is in charge of organizing the event, issued their own statement.

The FIFA organization gave the usual excuse of ‘no political messaging’ for prohibiting the clubs and supporters from displaying any Atatürk-related symbolism while inside the Riyadh stadium.

The statement from Riyadh Season mentioned that they were excited to conduct the game as per international football regulations. They were aware that displaying slogans irrelevant to the game was not permitted. This matter was discussed with the Football Federation of Türkiye during pre-match meetings, where it was emphasized to follow the regulations related to the game.

"We have collectively decided to demonstrate our respect and admiration for the Republic of Turkey by playing their national anthem and showcasing their flag both on the field and in the stands during the game."

Even though both sides agreed on the same thing, it's regretful that neither team followed through, causing the game to not occur.

On December 28, 2023, Fenerbahce players were seen practicing at KSU Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for their upcoming Turkish Super Cup football match against Galatasaray. A picture captured by Ali Atmaca/Anadolu via Getty Images shows the view of the stadium during the training session.

The event demonstrated that banning political messages and images as determined by Saudi officials is quite complex in the case of soccer, given that clubs are deeply connected to the past and customs of their respective nations and urban areas.

Football clubs can be associated with political and class shifts, and it's expected that national teams will also have their political inclinations.

The high regard that Turkey has for Atatürk implies that having his picture at those events is essential to the country's identity, comparable to playing a national song or hoisting the national banner. It is not viewed as an explicitly political move.

It seems that the Saudi authorities held a different opinion.

Football on a global scale is closely intertwined with politics, and this matter may persist in the upcoming ten years as Saudi Arabia welcomes additional sports competitions. Eventually, it will lead to the nation being in charge of organizing the FIFA World Cup in the year 2034.