July 05, (THEWILL) – UEFA has taken disciplinary action against Turkish player, Merih Demiral, following a controversial incident at EURO 2024. The football governing body handed Demiral a two-match ban for a politically charged goal celebration during Turkey’s victory over Austria in the round of 16.
Demiral’s celebration, which involved mimicking the shape of a wolf’s head with his fingers, drew widespread criticism, particularly in Germany. The gesture is associated with Turkey’s far-right “Grey Wolves” group. UEFA stated that Demiral was being punished “for failing to comply with the general principles of conduct” and “using sports events for manifestations of a non-sporting nature”.
The Turkish defender and his country’s government have defended the gesture, describing it as a normal expression of patriotic pride. Turkish President, Tayyip Erdogan, weighed in on the controversy, questioning why other national teams’ symbols are not scrutinised in the same manner.
The “Grey Wolves”, whose symbol Demiral evoked, is an ultra-nationalist youth branch of Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), an ally of Erdogan’s ruling AK Party. The group is outlawed in France and its symbol is banned in Austria. It is also under surveillance in Germany.
Turkey’s foreign ministry has defended the gesture as “a historical and cultural symbol” that Demiral used without targeting anyone at the game. The symbol has roots in some Turkic tribes of Central Asia and was also used by Turkey after its foundation in 1923, though the specific hand gesture has been adopted by the MHP in recent decades.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
