VfB Stuttgart deleted a social media post and issued a public apology after criticism from Galatasaray fans ahead of their Champions League match on Tuesday evening.
Stuttgart's X account shared an image of the loudspeaker system at Galatasaray's Rams-Park stadium accompanied by three thinking emojis. The post appeared to reference long-standing allegations that the Turkish club amplifies crowd noise through its speakers to enhance atmosphere and potentially unsettle visiting teams.
Galatasaray supporters responded with critical and insulting comments, prompting Stuttgart to remove the post and apologise. "Dear Gala community, we did not intend to hurt anyone with the post we shared from your stadium. If that has happened, we apologise. We are grateful for your hospitality in Istanbul and the good cooperation between our clubs. We hope for a fair and tense match in your magnificent stadium," Stuttgart wrote.
Galatasaray's official account accepted the apology, responding: "Thank you! We look forward to welcoming you to our stadium, with one of the best football atmospheres in the world. Here's to a great match!"
Despite the resolution between the clubs, Galatasaray fans continued to criticise Stuttgart beneath the apology. The original post accumulated 1.4 million views within ten hours, with approximately 2,200 comments mostly from Gala supporters.
On the pitch, Stuttgart can advance towards the knockout stage with a victory. The Bundesliga club have seven points from three matches and would reach ten with a win on Tuesday.
Source: goal.com
