Turkey's Football Federation Challenges Demiral's Suspension in Sports Court

The Turkey Football Federation is contesting the suspension of national team defender Merih Demiral in the Sports Court, hoping to receive a response to the appeal within a day, reports the Turkish Milliyet.

UEFA had decided to suspend Demiral for two matches in Euro 2024. The reason for this decision was Demiral's gesture of showing a greeting sign associated with the Turkish nationalist group 'Gray Wolves' towards Turkish fans after scoring during the victorious match against Austria (2:1).

According to UEFA regulations, any display of political messages during matches is prohibited. This gesture is banned in France and Austria as it resembles the German Nazi salute. However, in Germany, the gesture of the 'Gray Wolves' is not legally prohibited.

The Turkish national team defeated Austria 2:1, thanks to a brace by Demiral, and will face the Netherlands in the quarter-finals on July 6, after the Netherlands defeated Romania 3:0.