Following disagreements regarding the wearing of shirts bearing political symbols, the Turkish Super Cup final between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce scheduled to be played in Riyadh on Friday was canceled.
The two Istanbul teams wanted to wear t-shirts featuring the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk during the warm-up ahead of the evening kick-off, leading to a dispute with Saudi authorities that resulted in the official cancellation of the match despite thousands already being inside the stadium.
The players were adamant about wearing the T-shirts due to the Super Cup coinciding with the centennial anniversary of the secular Turkish Republic.
The Saudi authorities justified the cancellation of the match by stating that the agreed-upon points had been violated, according to a press release.
Press Release on the Turkish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh pic.twitter.com/zv91MshnJ1
— موسم الرياض | Riyadh Season (@RiyadhSeason) December 30, 2023
“We had been looking forward to holding the match on time and in accordance with the international football rules and regulations, which require presenting the sport without any slogans outside its scope, especially since this was discussed with the Football Federation of Turkey,” explained Riyadh Season organizers.
Following the cancellation, both teams reportedly flew back to Istanbul late Friday night, welcomed by dozens of fans lined up at the airport holding Turkish Flags and Ataturk pictures.
The incident ignited a fiery debate between Saudis and Turkish peoples, reverberating across various social media platforms and resulting in a significant confrontation between the two sides.
Turkish actors’ furious reaction to the decision of Saudi authorities added fuel to the fire, turning into a war of tweets between the two countries’ fans.
Nejat Işler, a Turkish actor, commented, “Why, is it because Mustafa Kemal Ataturk destroyed seven dynasties of Saudi Arabia and the Arabs?”
Bu masallari birak alkolik Nejat… Hain dediğiniz Serif Hüseyin’in oğullari ile Atan burda ne yapiyor sence? pic.twitter.com/cImBDhfxM4
— Abdullah Kilim (Quilliam) (@Abdquil) December 29, 2023
Another Turkish actor named Aras Bulut Iynemli took to tweet to proudly defend the founding father of modern Turkey, stating “How happy is the one who says he is a Turkish.”
“Yurtta Sulh Cihanda Sulh”
-Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
“Ne mutlu Türküm diyene”
-Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ??????— Aras Bulut İYNEMLİ (@Aras_B_iynemli) December 29, 2023
Outraged by these tweets, Saudis immediately boycotted several actors’ series. In response, the streaming platform Shahid reportedly removed select Turkish series from its platform.
Laverne, a Saudi perfume brand, joined the fray and terminated its advertising contract with Turkish actor Hande Erçel after she took a stance in this online conflict. The company announced that on Twitter, using the hashtag #Saudi_first.
أسهل القرارات، هي القرارات التي تتعلّق بالوطن، ولأن الوطن خط أحمر،
لافيرن تقرر فسخ عقدها الاعلاني مع هاندا ارتشيل.#السعودية_أولا ?? pic.twitter.com/n4hKKNAyse
— لافيـرن – LAVERNE (@laverne) December 30, 2023
Several media outlets report that the Saudi Arabia Football Federation will ask for a financial compensation of no less than $40 million for its Turkish counterparts due to the cancellation of the match.
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