EM 2024 Now fixed: Uefa bans Turk Demiral for two games after wolf salute
Merih Demiral with controversial wolf salute gesture
© Daniela Porcelli / Sport Press Photo via ZUMA Press / Action Press
The so-called wolf salute proves to be the downfall of Turkish national player Demiral. He will now be missing from his team’s European Championship quarter-final against the Netherlands.
For Merih Demiral, the wolf salute he showed when celebrating a goal against Austria has serious consequences. UEFA has banned the Turkish national football team defender for two matches. This means that the 26-year-old will miss the European Championship quarter-finals on Saturday in Berlin against the Netherlands (9 p.m./RTL and Magenta TV) and a possible semi-final. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to visit the Olympic Stadium for the match against Oranje.
Demiral “did not comply with the general principles of conduct, violated the basic rules of good behavior, used sporting events for rallies of a non-sporting nature and brought football into disrepute,” the European Football Union said in justifying its decision on Friday.
Easily explained
Right-wing extremist sign Turkey player showed wolf salute as a celebration: What does the gesture mean?
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The “Bild” newspaper had already reported on the two-game ban on Thursday evening. However, the Turkish association initially described this as false information, as the deadline for submitting the defense papers had not yet passed.
Demiral banned: What happened?
The 26-year-old Demiral formed the hand sign and symbol of the “Grey Wolves” with both hands after his second goal in Leipzig during the 2:1 win against Austria in the round of 16, causing much outrage. The “Grey Wolves” are the name given to the supporters of the right-wing extremist “Ülkücü movement”, which is monitored by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Germany. In Turkey, the ultra-nationalist MHP is their political representative and an ally of President Erdogan’s Islamic-conservative AKP.
The scandal surrounding the gesture has also caused a great deal of political uproar in recent days. The Turkish Foreign Ministry described the UEFA investigation into Demiral as unacceptable.
According to media reports, Uefa bans Demiral for two games after “wolf salute”
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Not every person who displays the sign of the Grey Wolves can be described as right-wing extremist. The wolf salute is also not banned in Germany and the reactions of the German authorities are “xenophobic”.
Ultras call on fans to do the wolf salute
In the wake of growing nationalism, however, representatives of the political center have recently also used the wolf salute to address voters from more nationalist backgrounds.
Turkish football ultras have called on fans in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium to show the controversial wolf salute during their team’s quarter-final match against the Netherlands. All supporters in the stands are invited to make the gesture during the national anthem, according to a call on the X platform.
km DPA
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