Erdogan Issues Statement Following UEFA Punishment of Turkish Footballer

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made a statement regarding UEFA's announcement of a punishment for Turkey's national team defender Merih Demiral. To recall, the player was banned for two matches due to a controversial gesture during the match against the Austrian national team in the Round of 16 of the European Championship (2:1).

“Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned German officials to the ministry. Necessary measures are currently being taken,” Erdogan's words were quoted by Turkish journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu on social media platform X.

It is important to mention that the incident occurred during the Euro 2024 Round of 16 match between the Austria and Turkey national teams (1:2). In this match, Demiral scored a double and used a gesture associated with Turkish nationalists while celebrating his goal.