The Turkish SuperCup in Riyadh between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce scheduled Friday was postponed at the last minute after Saudi organisers refused to allow players to wear jerseys bearing "political slogans".
"The match has been cancelled. The match will not take place," announced the commentator on the Saudi sports television channel SSC.
According to Turkish media, both teams wanted to warm up wearing shirts bearing the image of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern-day Turkey, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the republic.
Given the refusal of Saudi organisers to allow such a gesture, the fierce Istanbul rival teams and the Turkish football federation decided to postpone the match that was to be played at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh.