Türkiye says ‘deeply regrets’ Demiral's suspension

Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Friday that it "deeply regrets" Turkish national team player Merih Demiral's suspension by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for two matches over his alleged nationalist gesture during the Türkiye-Austria Euro 2024 elimination match.

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

The statement stressed the role of international sports competitions in 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."

On Tuesday, Demiral scored twice in Türkiye's 2-1 victory over the Netherlands in the last-16, securing the team a quarterfinal match against the Netherlands.

However, the 26-year-old's controversial celebration following his second goal prompted a UEFA investigation into alleged "inappropriate behavior."

He has now received a two-match ban from UEFA for breaking the fundamental rules of decent conduct, using sporting events for non-sporting activities, and tarnishing the reputation of football.

The report on Demiral's suspension reached the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) yesterday. The federation was given a short period of 24 hours for its defense.

This morning, TFF submitted its defense for Merih to UEFA. The 30-page defense emphasized that Demiral's sign is a 1,000-year-old symbol of Turkish tradition. The defense also highlighted incidents that other football competitions did not penalize, indicating a double...