Saudis are not allowing our teams to return

The Turkcell Super Cup match between the 2022-2023 Super Lig champion Galatasaray and the Turkish Cup winner Fenerbahçe, which was scheduled to start at 20.45 this evening at Al-Awwal Park (King Saud University) Stadium in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, was cancelled due to a crisis.

The opening whistle did not blow after Saudi authorities gave a negative response to both teams' requests to take the field with Atatürk banners and warm-up shirts.

Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe stated that they would not take the field if their requests were not accepted, and Saudi Arabia's refusal to back down led to the cancellation of the match.

Following this, it was learned that the planes carrying the Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe delegations, which had gone to the airport to return to Turkey, were not granted permission to take off.

HERE IS THE DELAY THAT OCCURRED

Following the Saudis' attempt to block the planes' departures, the Turkish Airlines (THY) Riyadh-Istanbul flight carrying Galatasaray was delayed by 40 minutes, and the Riyadh-Sabiha Gökçen flight carrying Fenerbahçe was delayed by 1 hour.

ESTIMATED LANDING TIMES HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED AS FOLLOWS

If Saudi Arabian authorities grant takeoff permission for the flights, the Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe football teams are expected to arrive in Istanbul at approximately the following times:

Galatasaray: THY3235

Landing: 04.00 Istanbul Airport

Fenerbahçe: THY3307

Landing: 04.15 Sabiha Gökçen Airport

News Source: 12punto