The German Interior Minister has criticized the actions of Turkish defender Merih Demiral after Turkey’s victory against Austria at the European Championship on Tuesday. Demiral scored two goals in Turkey’s 2-1 round of 16 win and celebrated by making a gesture known as the “wolf salute,” associated with the Turkish right-wing extremist group “Grey Wolves”.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday, stating that “The symbols of Turkish right-wing extremists have no place in our stadiums” and mentioned that the group is under surveillance in Germany. She also added, “Using the European Football Championship as a platform for racism is completely unacceptable. We expect UEFA to investigate the case and consider sanctions.”
After the victory, Demiral posted a picture of himself making the gesture on X with the caption “Happy is one who calls themselves a Turk.”
“I had a certain specific celebration in mind. That’s what I did. It has to do with the Turkish identity because I’m very proud to be a Turk. And I felt that to the fullest after the second goal, so I ended up doing that gesture,” Demiral told reporters after the game. “I’m very happy that I did that.”
UEFA, the governing body of European soccer, announced in a statement on Wednesday that it is investigating Demiral’s “alleged inappropriate behavior.”
“In relation to the Round of 16 match between Austria and Turkey in the 2024 UEFA European Championship, played on 2 July 2024 in Leipzig, Germany, UEFA has opened an investigation in accordance with Article 31(4) of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations. The investigation is related to the alleged inappropriate behavior of the Turkish Football Federation player, Merih Demiral,” stated UEFA.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry stated that it found UEFA’s initiation of a disciplinary investigation against Demiral “unacceptable.”
