New Delhi: UEFA on Wednesday said that they have started a probe into Turkey’s defender Merih Demiral’s celebration of a goal during his side’s 2-1 victory over Austria at the ongoing Euro 2024.
The 26-year-old scored a brace to take his nation to the quarter-finals, where they will face Netherlands. However, the Al-Ahli defender, after his second goal, made a gesture that landed him in hot water.
Why is Demiral’s goal celebration under investigation?
Demiral, after scoring his second goal against Austria, made an alleged ultra-nationalist salute. This gesture is associated with the far-right extremist group Grey Wolves, which is linked with Turkey’s ruling coalition party, the National Movement Party.
Demiral has said that the celebration was pre-planned, “I am very proud because I am a Turk, therefore after the goal I felt it deeply and I wanted to do it, and I am very happy about doing it.”
He further posted a photo of the gesture on his X account and captioned it with, “How happy is the one who says I am a Turk!”
The salute of the Grey Wolves is banned in Austria and France but not in Germany. The group is known for promoting radical ideas and was associated with the usage of violence in the 1980s against leftist activists and ethnic minorities.
UEFA’s investigation will be in accordance with Article 31(4), which relates to the “alleged inappropriate behaviour” of Demiral. If found guilty of breaching the law, Demiral could be fined or even face suspension and could miss Turkey’s quarter-final clash against the Netherlands on Saturday.
Earlier this week, UEFA launched an investigation into England star Jude Bellingham’s gesture he made after scoring a sensational equaliser against Slovakia.
The Real Madrid midfielder scored an overhead kick in 95th minute to save England from an embarrassing exit. After his astonishing goal, Bellingham was caught by the cameras making a crotch-grabbing gesture towards the Slovakian bench.
Euro 2024: The Turkish defender is under investigation for allegedly breaching UEFA code of conduct. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
