New circumstances on the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to U.S. in order to attend the funeral of box legend Muhammad Ali have been revealed.

According to Turkish newspaper Cumuhuriyet, Erdoğan wished to hand to the boxer’s family presents he had brought from Turkey, but he remained with the presents in his hands.  The President then visited the museum opened in Ali’s honor to hand the presents to one of the sportsman’s family members, but nobody approached him there. Thus, aggrieved Erdoğan had to leave the place.

The Turkish President wanted to deliver a speech at Muhammad Ali’s funeral service, but Ali’s family turned him down. He also wanted to lay a cloth from the Kaaba on Ali’s coffin during the ceremony, but the family members refused this. Erdoğan also wanted the head of Turkey's religious affairs directorate to recite part of the Koran, but this wish had also been refused

Following this, the Turkish President returned to Turkey without taking part in the funeral.