Turkey’s Demiral gets two-game ban for gesture in round of 16

Merih Demiral, a defender for Turkey, received a two-match ban for giving an ultra-nationalist salute during his team’s victory over Austria in the Euro 2024.

Turkey defeated Austria 2-1 on Saturday to secure a quarterfinal berth against the Netherlands, with Demiral, 26, scoring both of their goals.

The defender for Al-Ahli celebrated his second goal with a “wolf salute,” a motion connected to the far-right extremist group Grey Wolves, which is connected to the National Movement Party, the party that leads Turkey’s coalition government.

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Demiral claimed that the salute—which is prohibited in France and Austria—was prepared in case he scored during the round of sixteen.

The European Football Association, or Uefa, brought charges against him for allegedly not abiding by general norms of conduct, breaking the fundamentals of decent behavior, utilizing sporting events for non-sporting activities, and defaming the game of football.