Turkey defender Merih Demiral has been handed a two-match ban for making an ultra-nationalist salute during his country’s Euro 2024 victory against Austria.
Demiral, 26, scored both goals in Turkey’s 2-1 win, securing a spot in the quarter-finals against the Netherlands.
However, his celebration after the second goal involved a ‘wolf salute’, a gesture associated with the far-right extremist group Grey Wolves, which is linked to Turkey’s ruling coalition party, the National Movement Party.
The salute, banned in Austria and France, was pre-planned by Demiral in case he scored.
This ban means the Al-Ahli defender will miss Turkey’s crucial quarter-final game against the Netherlands on Saturday evening. If Turkey advances to the semi-finals, Demiral will also be unavailable.
Despite this setback, Turkey are aiming to make a significant impact in the ongoing competition.
They are determined to surpass their best-ever performance in 2008 when they reached the semi-finals.
- Euro 2024: Turkey’s Merih Demiral facing ban after controversial goal celebration
They began the competition on a promising note beating debutants 3-1 before succumbing to a 3-0 defeat to 2016 champions Portugal.
They later sealed their place in the round of 16 after capitalising on a 10-man Czech Republic to win 2-1 in their final group game.
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