- Aspiranses de fútbol turcos, en despit de la sanción de la UEFA a Merih Demiral por su gesto de Lobo, hay llamados de ultras turcas para que los fanáticos lo exhiban durante la Cuartos de Final del Europeo de Fútbol 2024 entre Turquía y Países Bajos.
- El polémico gesto de Lobo, a menudo asociado con el extremismo de derecha y el movimiento turco Grey Wolves, ha sido un punto de controversia entre Turquía y Alemania, con el presidente turco Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticando su prohibición por parte de la UEFA.
- La tensión sobre el gesto de Lobo supera los límites del deporte, con implicaciones políticas, ya que la organización Grey Wolves, una organización de derecha con 18.500 miembros en Alemania, es vigilada por la Agencia Federal para la Protección de la Constitución, y su ideología está vinculada al nacionalismo turco y al Partido del Pueblo de la Justicia y Desarrollo (MHP), un socio de coalición del presidente Erdogan.
Erdogan aterriza en Berlín poco antes del saque inicial
(When the evening EM-Quarterfinal match between Turkey and the Netherlands begins at the Olympiastadion, Turkish fans are called upon to make a far-right gesture. Is Erdogan, the Turkish president, supporting them?
The Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan is reportedly planning to make a brief visit to Germany for the EM-Quarterfinal between Turkey and the Netherlands. He will arrive shortly before the football game and leave the same evening, according to Erdogan's office. No further engagements in Germany have been planned. The game at the Olympiastadion is scheduled to start at 21.00 hours (ntv.de-Liveticker and RTL).
The Turkish president has reportedly decided to attend the Quarterfinal in Berlin due to the controversy over the so-called Wolf's Salute by Turkish national player Merih Demiral. The UEFA has banned Demiral for two games due to this gesture.
Demiral displayed the Wolf's Salute during the EM-Round of 16 against Austria. This gesture typically expresses allegiance or sympathy with the far-right Turkish movement Grey Wolves and their ideology. In Turkey, it is used by the ultranationalist MHP party, which is a coalition partner of Erdogan. In Germany, the Grey Wolves count 18,500 members, making it the largest far-right organization in the country. The organization is not banned but is monitored by the Constitutional Protection Agency.
"Unaceptable, ilegal y político"
Erdogan criticized the gesture but denied any far-right affiliation. Erdogan stated that Demiral had only wanted to express his "excitement" over his goal with the Wolf's Salute. The Turkish government accuses Germany of xenophobia. The UEFA's decision to ban Demiral was described as a "scandal" in Turkish media. The president of the Turkish Football Association, Mehhmet Büyükeksi, called it "unaceptable, ilegal y político". Turkish football ultras urged fans attending today's Quarterfinal at the Berlin Olympiastadion to also display the Wolf's Salute.
The Kurdish community in Germany recommends the German government to ban the Grey Wolves in Germany. The chairman of the Kurdish community, Ali Ertan Toprak, told Deutschlandfunk that he expected "the Grey Wolves and their symbols to be banned in Germany", but the German government apparently does not do so because they "don't want to upset the Turks".)
