Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sharply criticized the European football governing body, UEFA, for its decision to suspend Turkish player Merih Demiral for two matches. This criticism came as Erdogan returned from a brief visit to the German capital, Berlin, where he attended the quarter-final match of the UEFA Euro 2024 between Turkey and the Netherlands on Saturday evening, which ended in a 2-1 defeat for Turkey.
Erdogan, speaking to journalists on the presidential plane, stated, "Frankly, the two-match suspension imposed by UEFA on Merih (Demiral) cast a heavy shadow over the tournament. This is unjustified; it is purely a political decision." He added that the sanction against defender Demiral, who performed a controversial "political" salute during the Round of 16 match against Austria, cannot be regarded as a sporting matter, saying, "In fact, it is a penalty directed at Turkey as a nation." Erdogan asserted that his national team was not affected by this decision, commenting, "Our national team responded to the injustice it faced by playing wonderful football on the field."
Before his return, Erdogan visited the players in the locker room, shook hands with them, and consoled them after being eliminated from the quarter-finals. He told the players, "I congratulate you all. Even if we recorded this result today, you are our champions." The president also shook hands with the suspended Demiral, as shown in television footage.
The uproar surrounding Demiral's salute earlier in the week had intensified the situation leading up to the match against the Netherlands on Saturday evening. Demiral had performed the salute while celebrating his second goal in the match against Austria in the Round of 16 last Tuesday, which led to his suspension by UEFA for two matches.
UEFA's decision sparked anger in Turkey, with Turkish ultra groups urging fans to display this salute at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. Turkey had summoned the German ambassador in Ankara in response to the harsh criticisms directed at Demiral, a move that was also confirmed by the German Foreign Ministry last Wednesday.
