2024-07-05 11:14:30
International sporting events, attracting the attention of millions of people from all over the planet, have repeatedly become a platform used by athletes and fans to express various forms of protest and demonstrate their civic and political positions.
Perhaps the most famous action is the black-gloved fists raised at the awards ceremony by Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who won gold and bronze respectively in the 200 meters at the Mexico City Olympics.
This is how black American runners protested against racism.
The IOC, UEFA and other organizers of major tournaments do their best to prevent their politicization, punishing such actions with penalties of varying severity.
However, this has not eliminated the problem.
Euro 2024, which is currently taking place in Germany, is no exception.
Merih Demiral and the gray wolves
Merih Demiral, the footballer of the Turkish national team, has found himself in the center of attention of the media, fans and even far from this sport in the world.
Demiral, the first defender in 40 years to achieve a European double-double, helped the Turks on 2 July. to beat Austria and reach the quarter-finals.
His first goal, scored in 57 seconds, was the fastest in the history of the continental championships.
However, Demiral did not limit himself to sportsmanship alone and showed a gesture of congratulation to the Turkish ultra-right group Gray Wolves at the end of the victorious match.
And later he published a photo of this scene on his account on the social network “X”.
At the political level in Turkey, the Gray Wolves are represented by the right-wing Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which was previously banned, then in opposition to President RT Erdogan, and has become his ally since the mid-2010s.
In Germany, neither the group itself nor its greeting gesture are banned, but they are supervised by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
Meanwhile, in Austria, the demonstration of this gesture was banned back in 2019.
Merihas Demiral, who was chosen as the best player of the match by UEFA, explained his action with joy for the victory and pride for his country.
“The way I was happy is related to my Turkish identity. (…) I saw others in the stadium making the same gesture.
There is no hidden message here. We are all Turks, I am very proud to be a Turk and this is the meaning of this gesture. I just wanted to show how happy and proud I am. I hope that there will be other opportunities to show this gesture,” said M. Demiralis.
Meanwhile, before the match between Turkey and Australia, international human rights organization the Society for the Protection of Vulnerable People called on UEFA to ban the display of the Gray Wolves gesture in stadiums.
“Some Turkish fans showed him at Euro 2024 matches. This has happened many times on live TV as well. “UEFA should clearly state its position on right-wing extremist symbols and ban the display of the ‘Grey Wolves’ gesture in stadiums,” said Kamal Sido, a representative of the association.
The fans’ joy at their team’s success can be understood and applauded, he said, but displaying the Gray Wolves salute “has nothing to do with a peaceful and reasonable celebration and is detrimental to the majority of peaceful fans”.
The Gray Wolf is an important figure in Turkish far-right mythology.
It is believed that he saved the ancestors of the Turkish people from their enemies, helped them achieve power, and therefore is a symbol of power for many.
Experts note that the Gray Wolves are increasingly using sporting events to recruit new supporters from football fans and display their symbols in stadiums.
For example, the congratulatory gesture of the Gray Wolves was also seen on the streets of several German cities, where Turkish fans wildly celebrated their favorites reaching the quarter-finals of Euro 2024.
Songs, shouts, banners and fakes
Austrian fans weren’t left out either – they staged their own demarche ahead of the Turkey-Austria match in Leipzig.
They chanted “Germany for the Germans, foreigners out” to the tune of “L’amour toujour,” Leipzig police are investigating.
This racist call became known throughout Germany after the scandal on the island of Sylt, where a large group of young people sang “foreigners out” and “Germany for the Germans” at a party to the tune of Gigi D’Agostino.
Since then, there have been many similar incidents in the VFR, which has led to the song being banned from some folk festivals and during Euro 2024.
In many countries, football fans are a highly politicized environment.
Its active representatives do not miss an opportunity, especially in front of television cameras, to inform the world about their point of view.
For example, during Euro 2024, Serbian fans repeatedly chanted pro-Russian slogans and hung Russian flags on stadium stands.
In turn, UEFA banned Russian flags during all matches of the Ukrainian national team in the tournament.
During the match between Ukraine and Belgium, Ukrainian fans honored the memory of the youngest fighter of the Azov Regiment, who died in the defense of Mariupol, by placing his photo on the stands.
In addition, they held up a banner with the inscription “Peace has a price”.
Of course, there is no shortage of fakes – videos of Romanian fans chanting both pro-Putin and anti-Putin slogans from behind during Ukraine’s match against Romania appeared on the Internet and quickly spread.
DW, whose reporter was present, determined that both videos were fake after analyzing the recordings and talking to experts.
In addition to the identified technical discrepancies, journalists who were near the filmed Romanian fans assured that they did not hear a specific slogan being chanted.
Punishment for ‘misbehaviour’ at Euro 2024
Meanwhile, UEFA has launched an investigation into Merih Demira’s gesture, which is suspected of “improper behaviour”. The Turkish defender, who spent just half an hour on the pitch in the previous two group stage matches, could be suspended, as has already happened in other similar matches at Euro 2024.
For example, UEFA suspended Kosovar journalist Arlind Sadiku for a provocative gesture when he turned towards the Serbian fans and showed the double-headed eagle, which is in the national symbols of Kosovo and Albania.
And Albania’s forward Mirlind Daku, who plays for Rubin Kazan, was suspended for two matches for offensive chants against North Macedonia and Serbia.
Of course, the penalties are not the worst, they are unlikely to be enough to stop the hotheads today.
Half a century ago, they were much stricter.
Tommy Smith and John Carlos were simply kissed by the spectators at the Olympic Stadium in Mexico City, and the American sports managers removed both sprinters from the team and sent them home early.
Smith and Carlos never played for the US again.
2024-07-05 11:14:30