UEFA has suspended Turkey defender Merih Demiral for two matches after the controversial hand gesture he made to celebrate one of his two goals against Austria (2-1) in Leipzig in the last 16 of the European Championship in Germany, meaning he will miss today’s quarter-final against the Netherlands, a decision Turkey has described as “unfair”.
Demiral scored both goals for Turkey on Thursday, celebrating the second with a nationalist hand gesture, a reference to the far-right Grey Wolves group in Turkey.
UEFA said in a statement that it had suspended Demiral “for violating the basic rules of appropriate behaviour, using sporting events for unsporting purposes and bringing football into disrepute.”
Under the penalty, the defender faces missing the semi-final against England or Switzerland, should his country qualify at the expense of the Netherlands in the quarter-finals in Berlin.
., and the latest political and economic developments via Google News