5 Jul. () –
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called the reaction to the gesture of footballer Merih Demiral after scoring a goal during the European Championship, a symbol of the far-right Grey Wolves organisation, excessive, and has assured that no one criticises other “national symbols” such as the German eagle or the French rooster.
Erdogan told the Anatolia news agency that Demiral made the gesture in a moment of “excitement” after scoring a goal in the round of 16 match against Austria. The Turkish president is due to attend the quarter-final match against Austria on Saturday.
Demiral will not be able to participate in this match, as UEFA announced on Friday that he will be banned for two matches for “using” football and “discrediting it” by making a far-right symbol out of it.
Demiral, 26, justified his gesture after the match against Austria, despite the criticism. “The way I celebrated it has something to do with my Turkish identity,” he said, before stressing that his aim was to express the pride he felt in being a Turkish citizen. In fact, he later posted a photograph of himself making the gesture during the celebration on ‘X’ along with the message “how happy is the one who says he is Turkish.”
The group, which was involved in guerrilla attacks against leftists and activists in Turkey in the 1970s, has ties to the ultra-nationalist Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), led by Devlet Bahçeli and currently Erdogan’s main ally.
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