Turkey has reacted strongly to news that UEFA has opened an investigation into national team defender Merih Demiral, who scored both goals in an emotional 2-1 win over Austria at Euro 2024 that put the Turks through to the tournament's quarter-finals.
After the match, UEFA announced that they may punish Demiral for the way he expressed his joy - waving the sign of the nationalist Turkish organization the Gray Wolves. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey reacted quickly and summoned the German ambassador to the country, Jürgen Schulz. The Ministry announced that the investigation against Demiral was unacceptable, as the "Grey Wolves" was not a banned organization in Germany.
"Furthermore, Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution published a report in September 2023 which emphasized that the 'grey wolf' sign cannot necessarily be associated with right-wing extremism," said the ministry's position, which it is added that the investigation against Demiral is xenophobic and politically motivated.
The scandal came after Germany's interior minister, Nancy Pfizer, asked UEFA to punish Demiral for his actions, saying signs of far-right Turkish extremism had no place in German stadiums and that the European Championship was not a platform for such acts. Turkey's position is also quite harsh and calls Pfizer's words "fascist".
It is another similar incident at Euro 2024 after Albania's Mirlind Daku served a two-match ban after he set the tone for an offensive chant aimed at Serbs and Macedonians following the group stage draw with Croatia. UEFA is also currently investigating England star Jude Bellingham for an indecent gesture after his goal against Slovakia. | BGNES
