Euro 2024, two rounds to Merih Demiral, one with parole to Jude Bellingham
Euro 2024, two rounds to Merih Demiral, one with parole to Jude Bellingham
Only a fine for English striker Jude Bellingham who will not be disqualified after the vulgar exultation against Slovakia that sparked violent controversy. The round of stop è was suspended by Uefa with a one-year probation. England will not lose its jewel for the European Championship quarterfinals to be played against Switzerland,
Uefa, on the other hand, has disqualified Turkey footballer Merih Demiral for two matches for the "gray wolf salute" made after his second goal against Austria in the round of 16 of the ongoing European Championship 2024 in Germany. An investigation had been opened by the European soccer federation on Wednesday. Demiral, formerly of Atalanta and Juventus but now at Al-Ahli, had mimed two wolves with his hands to greet Turkish fans: this is the traditional greeting of the "gray wolves", a right-wing extremist and nationalist movement in Turkey that became notorious in the past for, among other things, involvement in the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II.
Any "political" greeting is forbidden by Uefa regulations, but the incident has become a real diplomatic case: the German interior minister had called for Uefa to intervene. The German government, in response, had then summoned the German ambassador to Ankara. Similar measure the next day by the German executive, which on Thursday summoned the Turkish ambassador to Berlin. At this point Demiral, who scored the brace that gave the team a 2-1 win over Austria, will skip Saturday’s engagement against the Netherlands.
"From Uefa a scandalous decision". That's how Turkish state television station Trt called Uefa's decision to suspend Turkey's footballer Merih Demiral for two matches because of the gray wolf salute, commonly associated with a Turkish nationalist far-right movement, that the sportsman made after his second goal against Austria in the round of 16 of the ongoing 2024 European Championships in Germany. The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, è is expected in Berlin tomorrow where he will travel to watch the quarterfinal match between Turkey and the Netherlands.
