Football-Türkiye Demiral suspended for two matches for wolf gesture – German media

By Philip O’Connor
BERLIN (Reuters) – UEFA has suspended Turkish defender Merih Demiral for two matches for a gesture he made during his team’s round of 16 win over Austria on Tuesday, and he will also miss Saturday’s Euro 2024 quarter-final against the Netherlands, German media reported.

The 26-year-old centre-back scored twice in a 2-1 win over Austria to send his team through to the quarter-finals for the first time since 2008. He celebrated the achievement by making a wolf gesture with his fingers.

The gesture is linked to the Grey Wolves, the ultranationalist youth wing of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) of Turkey, an ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

“Symbols of Turkish right-wing extremists have no place in our stadiums,” German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser wrote in a post on Portal X, after which UEFA initiated disciplinary proceedings against Demiral.

German daily Bild reported on Thursday that it had received information that the player would be suspended for two matches for the gesture, although it did not provide the source of the information.

Turkey will face the Netherlands in the quarter-finals at Berlin’s Olympiastadion on Saturday, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expected to attend.

(Reporting by Philip O’Connor; Editing by Christian Radnedge)

Disclaimer: This report is generated automatically by Reuters news service. ThePrint is not responsible for its content.