Türkiye ‘deeply regrets’ 2-match suspension of national footballer

​​​​​​​By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye on Friday said it “deeply regrets” UEFA’s two-match suspension given to Turkish national football team player Merih Demiral over the use of a grey wolf sign in celebration at a match earlier this week.

“We deeply regret the two-match ban imposed on our national team player Merih Demiral by UEFA,” said a Turkish Foreign Ministry in a statement.

The statement stressed the role of international sports competitions as bringing societies and countries closer together.

Describing UEFA's decision as a “cause for disappointment” among all Turkish citizens, whether they live in Türkiye or abroad, the ministry added that the decision “reinforced assessments of rising prejudice against foreigners in some European countries.”

Turkish football player Merih Demiral earlier Friday was suspended for two matches for using the grey wolf sign at a UEFA EURO 2024 match against Austria this Tuesday.

In its decision, the UEFA Appeals Body claimed what it called a failure “to comply with the general principles of conduct, for violating the basic rules of decent conduct, for using sports events for manifestations of a non-sporting nature and for bringing the sport of football into disrepute.”

The decision, if it stands, means Demiral, 26, a former Juventus and Atalanta player, cannot play against the Netherlands in a Saturday quarterfinal match, and will also miss the EURO 2024 semifinals if Türkiye goes forward. In Tuesday’s match which Türkiye won 2-1, Demiral scored both of the goals.

UEFA launched an investigation after Demiral celebrated with the grey wolf sign in celebration at that match.

A national team player since 2018, Demiral has scored four goals in 48 international caps for Türkiye.