The president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan He said this Sunday that the suspension of UEFA of Turkish defenders Merih Demiral during two games of Euro 2024 for a controversial celebration was “political” and damaged the image of the competition.
Merih Demiralwho scored two goals on Tuesday against the Austriawas penalized after doing the Gray Wolves’ gesture of concentration – three fingers joined with the index finger and little finger raised in the air to form the profile of a wolf – in celebration of one of his two goals against rivals in the round of 16. final (2-1).
The Gray Wolves are a Turkish far-right group formed in the 1960s in the orbit of Nationalist Action Party (MHP), member of the coalition led by Justice and Development Party (AKP) of President Erdogan. This ultranationalist faction has been linked in the past to numerous political assassinations of Kurdish and leftist activists.
The act of Demiral caused diplomatic tension between Turkey and Germany. On Wednesday, Turkey summoned the German ambassador to Ankara to protest the German Interior Minister’s comments, Nancy Faeser, who described the player’s celebration as “unacceptable.”
Germany responded the next day by summoning the Turkish ambassador Berlin.
“Clearly speaking, the two-match suspension imposed by the UEFA in Merih has seriously damaged the image of the competition,” declaration Erdogan in the press on the plane back from Berlinaccording to the official agency Anatolia.
“This cannot be explained, it is purely a political decision,” he added.
Erdoganwho canceled his visit to Azerbaijan and traveled on Saturday to Berlin who attended the quarterfinal match at Olympiastadion, ensuring that the decision does not affect the team’s motivation. “Despite all the negative points (…), it was an exciting match,” he said.
Even though the Turks opened the scoring, Netherlands managed to turn the situation around and win 2-1, qualifying for the semi-finals, where they will face England on Wednesday.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
