Turkey’s Merih Demiral facing ban over ‘wolf’ celebration in win over Austria

Merih Demiral, Turkey’s goalscorer from their last-16 win over Austria, could face a ban from their quarter-final against the Netherlands on Saturday after Uefa opened an investigation into a gesture with apparent far-right connotations.

Demiral, a centre-back, was the unlikely match winner for Turkey in Leipzig but may be in line for disciplinary action after celebrating his second goal with a “wolf” salute. It is associated with the right-wing extremist nationalist group Grey Wolves and is banned in Austria, where it is punishable by fines of up to £3,400, since 2019.

A Uefa statement read: “An investigation has been opened in accordance with Article 31(4) of the Uefa Disciplinary Regulations in relation to the alleged inappropriate behaviour of the Turkish Football Federation player, Merih Demiral. Further information regarding this matter will be made available in due course.”

Speaking after the game, Demiral defended using the gesture, in which both hands are made to resemble wolves with pointed noses and ears. “I had a specific celebration in mind, something connected to my Turkish identity,” he said. “I am incredibly proud to be Turkish, and I felt that pride deeply after scoring. I wanted to express that, and I’m very happy I did.” Demiral went on to explain that he saw supporters making the gesture in the stands and wanted to join them. If that is borne out, Uefa may also launch a probe into the fans’ conduct.

The sign is not banned in Germany, although there has been a long-running discussion among politicians from both left and right-learning parties around making it illegal. The country’s interior minister, Nancy Faeser, condemned Demiral’s actions in a post on X. “The symbols of Turkish right-wing extremists have no place in our stadiums,” she wrote. “Using the European football championship as a platform for racism is completely unacceptable. We expect Uefa to investigate the case and consider sanctions.” Faeser added that the Grey Wolves group is under surveillance by Germany’s domestic intelligence service.

Uefa’s options include a ban and or a fine. There is some precedent for the latter: in 2018 Fifa fined the Switzerland pair Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri for making Albanian “eagle” gestures during a World Cup match against Serbia. Uefa did, though, come down significantly harder on the Kosovan journalist Arlind Sadiku when he made a similar sign during a broadcast at Serbia’s match against England last month, withdrawing his accreditation for the tournament.