“Very proud to be Turkish”
Turkey’s goal hero celebrates with right-wing extremist salute
03.07.2024, 06:17
Merih Demiral shoots Turkey into the quarter-finals of the European Football Championship. The national player celebrates the great success with the wolf salute, the symbol of a right-wing extremist movement.
Turkish national player Merih Demiral caused a stir with his celebration gesture in the 2:1 European Championship round of 16 match against Austria. After scoring his second goal on Tuesday evening in the Leipzig stadium, the 26-year-old made the so-called wolf salute with both hands, a hand sign and symbol of the “Grey Wolves”.
“The way I celebrated has something to do with my Turkish identity,” said Demiral after midnight in the European Championship stadium in Leipzig. “That’s why I made this gesture. I saw people in the stadium who also made this gesture.” There was “no hidden message” behind it.
“We are all Turkish, I am very proud to be Turkish and that is the meaning of this gesture,” he said. “I just wanted to demonstrate how happy I am and how proud I am.” Hopefully there will be more opportunities to show this gesture, announced the defender, who plays for Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia.
The supporters of the right-wing extremist “Ülkücü movement” are called “Grey Wolves” and are monitored by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Germany. In Turkey, the ultra-nationalist MHP is their political representative and an ally of the Islamic-conservative AKP of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Demiral scored the fastest goal in the knockout round of a European Championship in Leipzig after just 57 seconds and in the 59th minute. The follow-up goal by Bundesliga professional Michael Gregoritsch (SC Freiburg) was not enough for Austria. Demiral, who was in the Turkish starting eleven for the first time ever in this tournament, was later voted Man of the Match. Turkey will play the Netherlands in Berlin on Saturday for a place in the semi-finals of the European Championship.