The rearranged game was moved to a new location in the Turkish city of Sanliurfa. After seeing further requests denied by Turkish authorities, though, the cup holders took drastic measures. Neither request was approved, though, prompting the protest. Before kick-off, Galatasaray players were seen warming up in shirts bearing a photo of Ataturk.

The original fixture date, in 2023, was intended to commemorate 100 years since the founding of the Republic of Turkey. It is reported that Fenerbahce’s plan was not just to call up the under-19s, but also to start the game with only nine players. They seemingly intended to then withdraw players, leaving them with too few to continue and allowing the game to be awarded to Galatasaray as a 3-0 walkover. Less than a minute was on the clock when a strong Galatasaray XI took the lead through Mauro Icardi.

Moments later, Fenerbahce’s youngsters walked off, with the game subsequently abandoned. “We did what was necessary,” Galatasaray vice-president Erden Timur said when the initial game was postponed and moved from Saudi Arabia. “We are returning to our country. Just two points separate the great rivals, with seven games of the Super Lig season remaining.

The Istanbul club considered withdrawing from the league after seeing their players attacked, but ultimately decided against doing so following meetings involving club members. “In all our meetings, the least preferred option was to withdraw from the league,” Fenerbahce president Ali Koc said, as translated by Goal. “The reason why this option is not wanted is that people think we would have to deal in the lower league with the same things we deal with here. We are taking this option off the table until the general assembly at the end of the season.”