Galatasaray striker Didier Drogba and teammate Emmanuel Eboue have escaped punishment from the Turkish Football Association for paying tribute to anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela.

The pair unveiled messages under their shirts after a match on Friday, paying their respects to the former South African president, who died last week at the age of 95 following a lengthy battle with illness.

Drogba and Eboue were due to face a disciplinary committee on Tuesday for failing to receive permission for displaying their tributes, but the Turkish FA decided against punishing the pair, according to the Daily Mail.

The former Chelsea striker insisted before the hearing that he had no regrets over his actions.