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Didier
Drogba reveals a tribute message to the late Nelson Mandela (photo: AP)
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Didier Drogba and Emmanuel Eboue will
appear before the Turkish Football Federation's disciplinary committee after
revealing shirts with tribute messages to Nelson Mandela.
A federation rule prohibits players
from displaying slogans or political messages on their shirts.
After Galatasaray's win on Friday,
Drogba revealed a shirt with the slogan "Thank you Madiba," while
Eboue's read "Rest in peace, Nelson Mandela." Both players are from
the Ivory Coast.
Mandela, the former South Africa
president, had died a day earlier.
Suat Kilic, the Turkish government's
sports minister, called on the federation to review its decision against the
two star players.
"I don't find it a healthy choice
in terms of Turkey's image abroad and the two footballers' (freedom of)
expression," he said, according to AFP.
The TFF defended its action by saying
Drogba and Eboue failed to receive permission to wear the shirts.
Earlier this month, the federation
fined Fethiyespor players for wearing shirts honouring Mustafa Kemal Ataturk,
the founder of modern Turkey.
South Africa is postponing all games
until after Mandela's funeral, in some cases to allow stadiums to be used for
memorial services.
Mandela died Thursday and will be
buried near his rural Eastern Cape home on Sunday. A huge memorial service will
also be held for the anti-apartheid leader at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on
Tuesday, the stadium that hosted the 2010 World Cup final.
The Premier Soccer League, which
controls South Africa's top three tiers, says games will resume next Monday.
Source: http://espnfc.com
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