UEFA is investigating Türkiye soccer player Merih Demiral's “alleged inappropriate behavior” after he celebrated a goal at Euro 2024 by displaying a hand sign associaDemiral scored both goals Tuesday in a 2-1 win over Austria to earn a place in the quarterfinals.ted with an ultra-nationalist group.
After scoring the second goal he made a sign with each hand that is used by Turkish nationalists and associated with the Turkish ultra-nationalist organization Ulku Ocaklari, which is more widely known as the Gray Wolves, according to The AP.
After the game, Demiral said it was an innocent expression of his national pride and that there was “no hidden message or anything of the sort.”
He said he had the celebration in mind before scoring.
“It has to do with this Turkish identity, because I’m very proud to be a Turk. And I felt that to the fullest after the second goal. So that’s how I ended up doing that gesture. I’m very happy that I did that,” Demiral said. “I saw people in the stadium who were doing that sign. So that reminded me that I also had that in mind.”
Later, he was asked again about the gesture.
“How can I explain this?” he replied. “Of course we’re all Turkish. We’re all Turks in Türkiye. We’re very proud. I’m very proud as a person to be a Turk. So that’s what I did. That was the meaning of the gesture. It’s quite normal.”
Demiral said he hoped he'd get “more opportunities to do the same gesture again.”
UEFA confirmed Wednesday that it had appointed an inspector to investigate Demiral. It didn't outline when the case might conclude. Türkiye's next game is against the Netherlands in Berlin on Saturday.
German interior minister Nancy Faeser called on UEFA to punish the player for making the gesture.
“The symbols of Turkish right-wing extremists have no place in our stadiums. Using the soccer European Championship as a platform for racism is completely unacceptable,” Faeser said on X.
The spokesman for Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party, Omer Celik, responded by saying Faeser’s comments and UEFA’s investigation are “unacceptable.”
“It would be more appropriate for those looking for racism and fascism to focus on the recent election results in different European countries,” Celik wrote on X.
