Turkey hits back at UEFA's 'unfair' two-match ban on Merih Demiral over gesture linked to far-right extremist group... as political leader says they should BOYCOTT their Euro 2024 quarter-final tie

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Merih Demiral has been suspended for two matches for using the controversial ‘wolf salute’
The “wolf salute” is associated with gray wolves and is banned in Austria

Turkey has criticised UEFA’s decision to impose a two-match ban on defender Merih Demiral over his celebrations in the Euro 2024 round of 16.

Demiral scored twice in his country’s 2-1 last-16 win over Austria on Tuesday, booking them into a quarter-final against the Netherlands.

But the 26-year-old’s controversial celebration after his second goal sparked a UEFA investigation into alleged “inappropriate behaviour”.

And a two-match ban has since been upheld “for breaching basic rules of good conduct, for using sporting events for demonstrations of a non-sporting nature and for bringing the sport of football into disrepute”.

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

Turkish player Merih Demiral has been banned for two matches for his controversial goal celebration.

Demiral headed his second goal from a corner before making the “wolf” gesture.

However, Turkish first-team manager Vincenzo Montella and full-back Ferdi Kadioglu criticised the move and insisted it was not a “political gesture” from the centre-back.

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At a recent press conference, Montella said: “We consider this ban to be unfair. It was not a political gesture. It was interpreted as such, but it was simply not well understood.”

“But this will not dampen Turkish pride. In fact, we will be more passionate, more proud and I am sure we will all be very motivated.”

Kadioglu said: “I think the celebration of Merih had nothing to do with political issues.

“He wanted to celebrate with Turkish fans and the Turkish nation around the world, and we find this completely unfair.

“It’s obviously a shame he’s been suspended, but someone else will take his place for this game and do a good job.”

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

Turkey coach Vincenzo Montella has since denounced UEFA’s decision to exclude Demiral.

Montella said it was not a “political gesture” and that, on the contrary, it had not been “well understood.”

The nationalist leader is expected to be present for the last-16 clash against Ronald Koeman’s side in Berlin on Saturday night – but he has since called on Turkey to boycott the game.

Leader Devlet Bahceli said: “At this point, it is a moral and national expectation that our national football team will not play the match against the Netherlands and thus not demonstrate its democratic protest.”

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

The gesture allegedly carried out by Demiral is prohibited in France and Austria.

The ban was introduced in Austria in 2019 after a law was passed banning symbols of “extremist organisations”. The act can result in a fine of up to €4,000 (£3,400).

But in 2019, the Turkish government criticized Austria’s stance, saying the ban equated the symbol of a legal political party with that of the PKK, a Kurdish militant movement considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the EU.

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

Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Turkish Nationalist Movement Party, called on his team to boycott its quarter-final match against the Netherlands.

“I had a special 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 that and I’m very happy that I did 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.”

German Interior and Home Affairs Minister Nancy Faeser urged UEFA to consider sanctions and denounced the alleged move.

“The 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.”