Storm of criticism ahead of Champions League clash: VfB Stuttgart apologise to Galatasaray fans

VfB Stuttgart take a slight dig at Galatasaray ahead of their Champions League meeting. When fans of the Turkish record champions protest strongly, the Bundesliga club backtrack.

VfB took a small swipe at Galatasaray a few hours before Tuesday evening's clash (18.45), posting on their X account.

In the post, which has since been deleted, Stuttgart's social media team shared a picture of the loudspeaker system at Rams-Park, the Lions' home ground. They added three thinking emojis.

The post appeared to allude to the recurring debate over the atmosphere at the Turkish capital club's stadium. There have been repeated allegations that stadium speakers amplify Gala fans' famous whistling to heighten the atmosphere and potentially intimidate the away team.

Unimpressed, the Istanbul club's supporters left critical and insulting comments. VfB removed the post from the platform soon afterwards and apologised publicly.

How did Galatasaray fans react to VfB Stuttgart's apology?

"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," the Bundesliga club wrote.

Galatasaray's official club account accepted the apology and commented beneath VfB's statement: "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!"

But fans continued to criticise Stuttgart fiercely beneath the apology. The post racked up 1.4 million views in just ten hours, with Gala supporters leaving most of the roughly 2,200 comments.

On the pitch, the Swabians can take another big step towards the knockout stage on Tuesday evening. VfB have seven points after three matches. With ten, they would have one foot in the intermediate round.