Türkiye slams UEFA's investigation of Merih Demiral for nationalist salute
Merih Demiral, who scored both goals for Türkiye's A national football team as they beat Austria 2-1 in the last 16 of Euro 2024, made the Grey Wolves sign which is Türkiye's national symbol.
Demiral opened the scoring after less than a minute and netted again in the second half to set up a clash against the Netherlands in Berlin on Saturday. / Photo: AA
Türkiye has criticised UEFA's decision to open a disciplinary investigation into footballer Merih Demiral after he used the 'Bozkurt' symbol, or 'grey wolf' salute, during a match against Austria at Euro 2024.
In a report published by the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution in September 2023, it was emphasised that not every person who makes the 'Bozkurt' sign can be described as a right-wing extremist.
"We condemn politically motivated reactions to the use of a historical and cultural symbol during the celebration of a victory in a sporting event in a way that does not target anyone." Turkish Foreign Ministry said on X on Wednesday.
Merih Demiral, who scored both goals for Türkiye's A national football team as they beat Austria 2-1 in the last 16 of Euro 2024, made the 'Bozkurt' sign.
Summoning German ambassador
Germany's ambassador to Ankara has been summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry regarding German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser's request for sanctions from UEFA, said diplomatic sources on Wednesday.
Faeser targeted Demiral's goal celebration and asked UEFA for sanctions.
UEFA said that it had launched an investigation regarding the Grey Wolves sign by Demiral during a EURO 2024 match on Tuesday between Austria and Türkiye.
The spokesman for Türkiye's Justice and Development (AK) Party, Omer Celik, said Faeser’s comments and UEFA’s investigation are “unacceptable.”
“It would be more appropriate for those looking for racism and fascism to focus on the recent election results in different European countries,” Celik wrote on X.
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