Saturday, July 06, 2024 - Turkey defender, Merih Demiral has been handed a two-match ban for making a gesture linked to a far-right extremist group, ruling him out of Turkey's Euro 2024 quarter-final and a possible semi-final.
The Al-Ahli defender scored twice in his country's 2-1
last-16 win on Tuesday, booking them a quarter-final meeting with the
Netherlands.But the 26-year-old's controversial celebration after his second
goal prompted a UEFA probe over alleged 'inappropriate behaviour'.
The governing body has now confirmed he has been banned for
two matches 'for violating the basic rules of decent conduct, for using sports
events for manifestations of a non-sporting nature and for bringing the sport
of football into disrepute'.
Demiral's gesture, a 'wolf's salute', is associated with the
Grey Wolves, a far-right extremist group in Turkey.
The gesture allegedly performed by Demiral is banned in
France and Austria.
The ban was introduced in Austria in 2019 after a law
prohibiting 'extremist organisation' symbols was passed. The gesture can result
in fines of up to €4,000 (£3,400).
But in 2019, Turkey's government criticised Austria's
stance, claiming the ban equated a symbol of a legal political party with that
of the PKK, a Kurdish militant movement considered a terrorist organisation by
Turkey, the US and the EU.
After the match, Demiral explained why he had performed the
gesture.
'I had a specific celebration in mind, something connected
to my Turkish identity. I am incredibly proud to be Turkish, and I felt that
pride deeply after scoring,' he said.
'I wanted to express that, and I'm very happy I did. Our
fans are proud of us. I saw them doing the gesture in the stands, and it made
me want to do it even more.'
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