Erdogan lashes out at opposition for ‘exploiting’ dispute between football clubs and Saudi Arabia

Istanbul (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has blamed opposition parties for “exploiting” a dispute between two Turkish football clubs and Saudi officials. The Turkish Super Cup final to be played in Saudi Arabia on Friday was postponed indefinitely after Istanbul rivals, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, refused to take to the pitch and returned home. A joint statement by the Turkish Football Federation and the clubs on Friday cited “organizational disruptions” as the reason for the postponement, and thanked Saudi Arabia for its efforts in organizing the game. However, media reports claimed the dispute was over the wearing of jerseys featuring Turkey’s secularist founding father, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and carrying a banner with his motto, “Peace at home, Peace in the world.”