Turkish stopper Merih Demiral played the match of his life against Austria in the round of 16 of this year’s European Championships. But more was said about his gesture, which also adorns the statue that was unveiled in the Turkish city of Bol.
Photo: dpa picture alliance / Alamy / Alamy / Profimedia
Merih Demiral and his wolf greeting at EURO 2024.
The 26-year-old stopper helped Turkey win 2:1 over Austria with two hits. After one of the goals, he connected two fingers with his thumb, leaving the index and little fingers as “ears” and thus created a gesture known as the “wolf salute”.
It symbolizes the extreme right-wing Turkish movement Gray Wolves. Both the movement and the gesture are banned in some countries because they are considered fascist.
The gesture is not illegal in Germany, where the championship was held, but it is, for example, in Austria and France. In Austria, there is a risk of a fine of 4,000 euros.
Turkish nationalists known as the “Grey Wolves” are responsible for a number of attacks against minorities, mostly Kurds and Armenians.
Demiral’s celebration was investigated by UEFA, and the German Minister of the Interior and the Turkish Minister of Justice also exchanged scathing messages.
The Turk received a two-match ban from UEFA and only watched his team’s quarter-final loss to the Netherlands as a spectator.
Recently, in the Turkish city of Bolu, he was unveiled a statue that captures the stopper celebrating a goal, while the fascist “wolf salute” is also included.
The mayor of Bolu, Tanja Özca, thus kept his summer promise that Demirel would be honored with a statue in the city of more than 100,000 people.
He does not understand the criticism surrounding the whole matter with the goal celebration. “The wolf is a symbol of the Turkish world. Why do they punish a football player for this? I don’t understand it,” he told reporters.
The football player himself thanked for the statue via the social network. “This statue, which represents our citizens, whose hearts beat for the star and the crescent moon, is an honor for me.
It expresses the pride I feel in being a part of my beautiful homeland. I hope that the Turkish values represented by the statue will last forever,” said Demiral, who currently plays for the Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli and previously worked for Juventus and Atalanta Bergamo.
Source: sportweb.pravda.sk
