Eat. According to “Bild”, Turkish player Merih Demiral was banned for his “wolf salute” at the 2024 European Championship. Meanwhile, English Jew Bellingham has to pay.
Two games caused a real scandal in the round of 16 of the European Championship of their respective countries. Then the Turkish applauded Merih Demiral a gate with the “Wolf Salute”, which is considered a symbol of the right-wing extremist organization Grey Wolves. The Grey Wolves are considered a militant arm of the Turkish right-wing extremist party MHP. The group advocates radical ideas and has a history of using violence against left-wing activists and ethnic minorities. There are said to be at least 12,000 followers of the group in Germany.
Demiral’s celebration sparked heated discussions, which UEFA investigated. Now, according to Bild, it has reached its verdict. Demiral will have to sit out two games. On the one hand, this is the semi-final against the Netherlands on Saturday, July 6 at 9 p.m., and a possible semi-final against England or Switzerland on Wednesday, July 10 at 9 p.m. Demiral would then be eligible to play again in a possible final on Sunday, July 14 at 9 p.m.
IN 2024: English Jew Bellingham fined
There has also been some recent controversy surrounding England’s Jude Bellingham. With the score at 0-1 against Slovakia, the Real Madrid midfielder scored a header in the fifth minute to make it 1-1 and save England in extra time. Bellingham celebrated by making an obscene gesture towards the Slovak bench.
Bellingham, however, disputed this assessment and said he made the gesture, in which he first touched his mouth and then reached for his groin, as an “inside joke” for the crowd, which included some friends. “Nothing but respect for what Slovakia showed on the field today,” he wrote in “X”.
UEFA apparently did not follow Bellingham’s version of the story. According to Bild, the Englishman will have to pay a fine of at least 20,000 euros. Unlike Demiral, he will be allowed to take the field in his country’s quarter-finals (Saturday, July 6, at 6 p.m., against Switzerland).