Turkish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia doesn't begin

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - DEC. 29, 2023: Turkish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia didn't begin as both sides Fenerbahce and Galatasaray both decided not to appear for Turkish Super Cup final game on Friday. Both teams decided not to show up in final games after negotiations on permission to wearing of Atatürk t-shirts between Turkish Football Federation, Fenerbahce, Galatasaray and Saudi officials failed. The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) announced earlier Friday that the Turkish Super Cup final will begin in the presence of our national flag. "The Super Cup match will start in the presence of our Turkish flag, 100th Anniversary Celebration events, a moment of silence for our martyrs and our National Anthem to be read by the artist Norm Ender. Please do not pay attention to the disinformation on this subject," the official TFF statement read. It was claimed that the Saudi authorities did not allow the singing of the Turkish National Anthem, the unfurling of the Ataturk poster and the banner "Peace at Home, Peace in the World", and the wearing of Atatürk t-shirts in the early hours of Friday. Istanbul clubs' rivals Besiktas and Samsunspor, the Samsun club that has a historical place in the foundation of Turkish Republic, invited the both clubs to host the Turkcell Super Cup match. In its X statement titled "Our Door is Open!", Besiktas wrote, "We would like to invite Ataturk lovers to Dolmabahce with Turkish flags to play the Super Cup final, which will be played on the 100th anniversary of our Republic, in the most beautiful stadium in the world, in the neighborhood of our Ataturk, on a suitable date." Samsunspor, on the other hand, wrote on their official X account, "We switched on the lights. We hung the flags. We are waiting all to Samsun!" (Footage by Ali Atmaca /Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)