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Riyadh Season Explains Reasons for Calling off Turkish Super Cup Final

A view of the Al-Awwal Park stadium before the match was called off. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A view of the Al-Awwal Park stadium before the match was called off. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Riyadh Season Explains Reasons for Calling off Turkish Super Cup Final

A view of the Al-Awwal Park stadium before the match was called off. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A view of the Al-Awwal Park stadium before the match was called off. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Riyadh Season explained on Saturday the reasons for calling off the Turkish Super Cup final that was set to be held between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce at the Al-Awwal Park stadium in the Saudi capital on Friday.

In a statement, Riyadh Season expressed pride in the “close relationship” with Türkiye in various fields, including sports.

It said it was looking forward to holding the match as scheduled and according to football regulations and guidelines which stipulate that non-sports slogans are barred from matches.

The issue and regulations were underscored during discussions with the Turkish football federation in preparation for the final, continued the statement.

“An agreement was reached to play the Turkish national anthem and display the Turkish flag inside the stadium, given Türkiye's standing,” it added.

In spite of this agreement, “the two teams, unfortunately, did not respect it and the match was consequently called off,” it explained.

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Tennis in Good Hands Despite High-Profile Retirements, Says United Cup Chief

Spain's Rafael Nadal waves to the crowd during a tribute after playing his last match as a professional in the Davis Cup quarterfinals at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, early Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)
Spain's Rafael Nadal waves to the crowd during a tribute after playing his last match as a professional in the Davis Cup quarterfinals at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, early Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)
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Tennis in Good Hands Despite High-Profile Retirements, Says United Cup Chief

Spain's Rafael Nadal waves to the crowd during a tribute after playing his last match as a professional in the Davis Cup quarterfinals at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, early Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)
Spain's Rafael Nadal waves to the crowd during a tribute after playing his last match as a professional in the Davis Cup quarterfinals at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, early Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)

The retirements of tennis greats Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Serena Williams has made promoting events more difficult but organizers must grab the opportunity to push new talent into the spotlight, the United Cup's tournament director said.

The popular $10 million mixed team event aims to do just that when it kicks off the new season on Friday, with tournament chief Stephen Farrow confident the sport is in good hands.

"It's true to say that from a promotional standpoint, it's very easy if you've got Roger Federer or Rafa Nadal turning up," Farrow told Reuters after the draw for the 18-team tournament was held in Sydney recently.

"You're talking about people who are absolute superstars of the sports arena ... with those guys moving on, it does make it a bit more difficult to promote and tell the story of the athletes playing the event.

"I always see that as a positive, because it's on all of us in tennis to tell the story of this new talent.

"We've got a lot of them playing the United Cup. They're incredibly exciting and captivating to watch. I'm not worried about the future."

Grand Slam contenders Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Iga Swiatek and Coco Guff will all be in action for their countries at the Dec. 27-Jan. 5 tournament staged in Perth and Sydney as they prepare for the Australian Open starting on Jan. 12.

Farrow also said the United Cup was still building its brand and boosting awareness with fans and players.

"Last year we saw a really big step forward when we moved to a new format with one women's singles, one men's singles and one mixed doubles. It was incredibly competitive.

"Now we've established ourselves on the tennis calendar two weeks from the Australian Open. We've seen with the field this year that players want to play this event."

Spain take on Kazakhstan while China meet Brazil on the opening day in Perth.