July 4 – The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs have reacted to UEFA’s investigation of Turkish international Merih Demiral, following his actions during the Euro 2024 round of 16 match against Austria, describing UEFA’s action as “unacceptable”.
Central defender Demiral scored both goals for Turkey in a 2-1 victory.
The 26-year-old celebrated his second goal by raising the index and little finger of each hand above his head, meaning he could face a potential suspension for the quarter-final.
The gesture appeared to perform a ‘Wolf’s Salute’, associated with the Gray Wolves group, a far-right extremist group in Turkey. It caused outrage among Austrian fans as the group is banned in that country and France – although not in Germany – as an act supporting terrorism.
“It is unacceptable that UEFA has opened a disciplinary investigation against Turkish national footballer Merih Demiral after the EURO 2024 round of 16 match between the national football teams of Türkiye and Austria yesterday (2 July),” said a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement.
“Moreover, the report published by the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution in September 2023 emphasized that the ‘grey wolf’ sign can not necessarily be associated with right-wing extremism. The ‘grey wolf’ sign is also not a banned symbol in Germany. Under these circumstances, the reactions shown by the German authorities to Mr. Demiral can themselves be considered xenophobic.
“We condemn the politically motivated reactions to the use of a historical and cultural symbol as part of a goal celebration in a way that does not target anyone.”
Contact the writer of this story, Aleksander Krassimirov, at moc.l1734878451labto1734878451oofdl1734878451rowed1734878451isni@1734878451ofni1734878451