Turkey defender Merih Demiral banned for two games for Wolf salute

Merih Demiral, whose two goals helped Turkey overcome Austria and book their place in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals, has been suspended for two matches over a wolf salute he made towards the crowd at the match in Leipzig on Tuesday.

The salute is recognised as being linked to the far-right movement in Turkey.

Uefa said Demiral had been suspended for “failing 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”.

Earlier, the Turkey’s ambassador to Germany was summoned to the foreign ministry in Berlin over the salute as it became the subject of diplomatic exchange.

Ahmet Başar Şen was urged to explain the gesture and take measures to prevent its further use, a ministry spokesperson said, the day after Germany’s ambassador to Turkey was summoned to the foreign ministry in Ankara as Turkey’s government accused Berlin of “xenophobia” over its criticism of the symbol associated with the Grey Wolves group.

The Grey Wolves are classified as a rightwing extremist group with 18,500 to 20,000 members in Germany, making it the second-biggest rightwing extremist organisation after Alternative für Deutschland, according to the domestic intelligence agency, the federal office for the protection of the constitution (BfV).

Meanwhile, England midfielder Jude Bellingham has been cleared to play in the quarter-final against Switzerland after being given a suspended one-match ban for a gesture he made in the last-16 match against Slovakia.

The Real Madrid star gestured towards the Slovakia bench after scoring an overhead kick to force extra time.

Bellingham insisted in a social media post that the gesture was “an inside joke towards some close friends”, but Uefa opened an investigation on Monday to determine whether the gesture “violated the basic rules of decent conduct”.

Uefa announced on Friday that Bellingham had been fined €30,000 (£25,400) and issued with a suspended one-match ban. The ban will be triggered by a further offence within one year, Uefa said.

The English Football Association was also fined a total of €11,000 (£9,000) for crowd disturbances and the lighting of fireworks by supporters during the Slovakia match.