Turkey's goal hero celebrates with far-right salute
Merih Demiral shoots Turkey into the UEFA European Championship quarter-finals. The big success is celebrated by the national player with the Wolf Salute, a symbol of a far-right movement.
Turkish national player Merih Demiral caused a stir with his jubilation gesture after Turkey's 2:1 win against Austria in the EURO 2020 round of 16. The 26-year-old formed the so-called Wolf Salute with both hands after scoring his second goal at Leipzig Stadium on Tuesday night.
"The way I celebrated has something to do with my Turkish identity," Demiral said after midnight at Leipzig EURO 2020 stadium. "That's why I made that gesture. I saw people in the stadium making the same gesture." There is "no hidden message" behind it.
"We are all Turks, I am very proud to be Turkish, and that's what this gesture means," he said. "I just wanted to show how happy and proud I am." The defender, who plays for Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, hopes there will be more opportunities to display this gesture.
The "Grey Wolves" are named after the supporters of the far-right "Grey Wolves Movement," which is monitored by the German Constitutional Protection Agency. In Turkey, the ultranationalist MHP is their political representation and alliance partner of the Islamo-conservative AKP led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Demiral scored the fastest goal in the knockout stage of an EURO and the second goal in the 59th minute in Leipzig. Michael Gregoritsch's (SC Freiburg) equalizer for Austria was not enough. Demiral, who made his first appearance in the Turkish team at this tournament, was later named Man of the Match. Turkey plays the Netherlands in Berlin on Saturday for a place in the EURO semi-finals.
Despite the victory celebrations, concerns about right-wing extremism surfaced once again following Merih Demiral's use of the Wolf Salute, a symbol tied to far-right movements. The European Football Championship 2024, set to take place in Germany, raises questions about potential controversies involving politically charged soccer gestures.
