Turkey defender Merih Demiral ‘BANNED for two matches’ after making a gesture linked to far-right extremist group… ‘ruling him out of their Euro 2024 quarter-final against the Netherlands

Merih Demiral will reportedly receive a two-match ban, ruling him out of Turkey’s Euro 2024 quarter-finals and a potential semi-final, for making an extremist “wolf salute” in the win over Austria.

Demiral scored twice in his country’s 2-1 round of 16 victory on Tuesday, booking their place in the quarter-finals against the Netherlands.

But the 26-year-old’s controversial celebration after his second goal sparked an investigation by the governing body into alleged “inappropriate behaviour”.

And according to the German Output imageDemiral will be severely punished for this gesture. The Ah-Ahli defender will reportedly be banned for two matches from the European Championship.

Demiral’s gesture, a “wolf salute,” is associated with the Grey Wolves, a far-right extremist group in Turkey.

The Grey Wolves, officially called Ulku Ocaklari, are the youth movement of the Nationalist Movement Party, which is in coalition with the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The nationalist leader will be present at the round of 16 match against Ronald Koeman’s team in Berlin on Saturday evening.

Supporters of the group are considered extremists by Germany’s Constitutional Protection Agency, as well as by the European Union and the United States.

The gesture allegedly made by Demiral is banned in France and Austria.

The ban was introduced in Austria in 2019, following the passage of a law banning symbols of “extremist organisations”. The gesture can lead to fines of up to €4,000 (£3,400).

But in 2019, Turkey’s government criticised Austria’s stance, arguing the ban equated the symbol of a legal political party with that of the PKK, a Kurdish militant movement considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and the EU.

After the match, Demiral explained why he had made the gesture.

“I had a specific celebration in mind, something related to my Turkish identity. I am incredibly proud to be Turkish and I felt that pride deeply after scoring,” he said.

“I wanted to express it and I’m very happy to have done it. Our fans are proud of us. I saw them doing that gesture in the stands and it made me want to do it even more.”

Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser urged UEFA to consider sanctions and criticised the alleged gesture.

“Symbols of the Turkish far right have no place in our stadiums,” Faeser wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday morning. “Using the European Football Championship as a platform for racism is completely unacceptable.”