The political debate about the controversial wolf salute overshadowed Turkey’s European Championship match against the Netherlands. During the anthem, the fans complied with a request from the ultras.
Thousands of fans of the Turkish national football team supported their suspended protégé Merih Demiral during the national anthem and further fueled the wolf salute debate. Immediately before the European Championship quarter-final against the Netherlands, the red and white-clad supporters formed the symbol of the “Grey Wolves” with both hands, thus heeding a call from the ultras.
National player Demiral celebrated his second goal in the European Championship round of 16 against Austria with the so-called wolf salute, the origin of which is attributed to a right-wing extremist movement. He was subsequently banned for two matches by UEFA.
Fan march cancelled due to wolf salute
The scandal surrounding the gesture has also caused a great deal of political uproar in recent days. The Turkish Foreign Ministry described the UEFA investigation into Demiral as unacceptable. The Turkish ultra group stressed that the wolf salute was not racist, but “the national symbol of Turkishness”.
In the hours before the game, Turkish fans had already signaled their support with the wolf salute. The fan march towards the Olympic Stadium was ended due to “continued political messages,” the police announced. A fan march is “not a platform for political messages,” they continued.
The wolf greeting usually expresses affiliation or sympathy.d50f84252c99df9979488d5d998b9612.css” fetchpriority=”high”>
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
