Turkish President Erdoğan Slams UEFA Over Demiral Ban: “Purely Political Decision”

2024-07-07 13:34:30

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is the European Football Union (Uefa) criticized. Uefa’s two-match ban against Merih Demiral cast a heavy shadow over the championship, he told journalists. “This is inexplicable, it is purely a political decision,” he continued.

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“Indeed, it is a punishment for Turkey as a nation,” Erdoğan added. He spoke of the “injustice” done to the Turkish national team. But the team didn’t let that deter them.

Erdoğan was for the quarter-finals of the European Championship Turkish against the Netherlands (1:2) traveled to Berlin. While there he also visited the players in the dressing room. Erdoğan was seen on television footage shaking hands with Demiral and the other national players. “Although we achieved this result today, you are our champions,” Erdogan said, referring to the victory against the Netherlands.

UEFA imposed the ban as a sanction against the defender Demiral after he saluted the wolf in the round of 16 against Austria (2-1). The sign is considered a symbol of supporters of the right-wing extremist movement Ülkücü, the so-called Gray Wolves. The group and the greeting are not banned in Germany. However, the gray wolves are being monitored by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. As a result of criticism of Demiral’s gesture, Turkey recalled the German ambassador.