After wolf salute: UEFA bans Turkish international Demiral UEFA Bars Turkish Player Demiral for Wolf Gesture that Stirred Diplomatic Issues
The UEFA committee has handed Turkish nationality footballer Merih Demiral a ban of two matches due to his “improper behavior”, which involved making a wolf sign after scoring against Austria in the Euro 2024 round of 16. The latter is associated with right-wing extremist group known as Grey Wolves in Turkey.
Demiral justified himself by saying that it was part of his Turkish identity and not politics, yet the extreme connotation of this symbol sparked anger and denunciation from all sides.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser urged UEFA to take appropriate measures against such actions, stating that symbols of Turkish right-wing extremists should not be seen in stadiums. In response, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry called on the German ambassador following accusations that Germany’s reaction was xenophobic.
This case became so serious that now it is considered as a diplomatic row, with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan intending to travel to Berlin during quarter-finals and show his support to the National team. In addition, before upcoming match between Turkey and Netherlands, Turkish ultras have called upon fans to make these salutes while singing national anthem as act of defiance.
Therefore, it increased security concerns about the match with many police force expected in Berlin. As a result, Olympic Stadium on its turn into being a high-risk event now also got some more security measures taken up for safety purposes and no further inflaming any delicate situations.
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