The Turkish defender made a statement after scoring a goal in the round of 16 match against Austria on Tuesday 2 July by making a gesture that symbolises a far-right group.
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UEFA ruled on Friday 5 July and suspended defender Tru Merih Demiral for two matches following his celebration last Tuesday after a goal against Austria in the round of 16 of the Euro football championship. Demiral had performed the symbol of the “Grey Wolves”, a Turkish far-right group, triggering controversy and diplomatic tensions. Demiral will miss his team’s quarter-final on Saturday 6 July against the Netherlands, and a possible semi-final on 10 July against England or Switzerland.
By his gesture, hands in the air with the little finger and index finger raised, the defender was guilty of having infringed the “general principles of conduct” imposed on players in the game in UEFA’s disciplinary regulations. Demiral has “violated the basic rules of decency“, has “used a sporting event for an event unrelated to sport” and a “discredited football by his behavior” specifies the European football institution.
The celebration had provoked strong reactions, notably between Turkey and Germany, the host country of the Euro, whose Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser, had estimated that “The symbol of Turkish right-wing extremists has no place in our stadiums“. The Turkish ambassador had been summoned to Berlin on Thursday morning, while the day before, the German ambassador had experienced the same sequence in Ankara. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Thursday that he would attend the Turkish team’s quarter-final match against the Netherlands in Berlin on Saturday.
Meanwhile, England star Jude Bellingham was fined €30,000 without being suspended, following an obscene celebration during the Three Lions’ round of 16 match against Slovakia.
