Turkey's qualification for the quarter-finals of Euro 2024, following Tuesday's 1-2 win over Austria, was marked by an encore from Merih Demiral, but one of his celebrations is generating a lot of controversy, even prompting UEFA to investigate the case.
"UEFA has opened an investigation into the allegedly inappropriate behavior of Turkish player Merih Demiral during the match between Austria and Turkey played on 2 July 2024," reads a note published this Wednesday on the official website, since the gesture allegedly linked to an ultranationalist group could go "against the ethical and disciplinary code" of the European body.
Following the controversy, Nancy Faeser, Germany's interior minister, has already taken to social media to deplore the former Sporting player's political gesture: "The symbols of the Turkish far right have no place in our stadiums. Using the European Championship as a platform for racism is completely unacceptable. We hope that UEFA will investigate the case and consider appropriate sanctions."
After the controversy surrounding an obscene gesture during Jude Bellingham's celebrations in the England-Slovakia match (2-1), it is now Merih Demiral who could be in trouble ahead of the European Championship quarter-final between Turkey and the Netherlands, scheduled for this Saturday.
