Germany summons Turkish ambassador over rightist 'wolf' goal celebration at soccer tournament
Germany summoned Turkey’s ambassador on Thursday over a Turkish soccer player’s ultra-nationalist “wolf salute” at a Euro 2024 match.
Germany summoned Turkey’s ambassador on Thursday over a Turkish soccer player’s ultra-nationalist “wolf salute” at a Euro 2024 match, days ahead of a reported trip by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to Berlin to attend his nation’s next match.
UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, has opened an investigation into Turkish center back Merih Demiral’s mimicking of the shape of a wolf’s head with his fingers after scoring in a Euro Championship game against Austria on Tuesday evening.
The gesture is linked to the “Grey Wolves,” an ultra-nationalist youth branch of Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), an ally of Erdogan’s AK Party.
“As Euro 2024 hosts, we want sport to unite,” Germany’s foreign ministry said in a post on X, announcing that Turkey’s ambassador had been summoned, a day after Turkey’s foreign ministry did the same to Germany’s ambassador to Ankara.
Turkey’s foreign ministry said German authorities’ approach to Demiral “involved xenophobia” and UEFA’s probe was unacceptable. The ministry has defended the gesture made by Demiral as a historical and cultural symbol that did not target anyone during his celebration of joy at the match.
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