UEFA investigates footballer Demiral’s goal celebration with nationalist gesture
Turkish national team defender Merih Demiral celebrated a goal against Austria in the 1/8 final match of the 2024 European Football Championship with a gesture associated with Turkish ultranationalists. This was reported on the social network X wrote Austrian journalist Michael Bonvalot.
Bonvalot wrote that the footballer openly displayed the symbol of the “Grey Wolves” (a movement whose ideology is based on pan-Turkism – the dream of a great secular Turkey that will unite all “Turanian” peoples on the basis of blood – note from “Lenta.ru”). “These paramilitary groups are responsible for thousands of deaths,” he stressed.
Following this, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) launched an investigation into the defender, calling Demiral’s behavior inappropriate. It is noted that additional information on this issue will be provided in the near future.
Earlier, the Turkish national team defeated the Austrian team with a score of 2:1 and advanced to the quarterfinals of Euro 2024. Demiral scored twice in the match.
Source: Lenta
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