In response to the actions of Merih Demiral, the defender for the Turkish national football team, the German Foreign Ministry has summoned the Turkish ambassador. Demiral made a “Grey Wolves” gesture during a match with Austria in the European Championship, which was widely criticized by German interior minister Nancy Feiser and human rights organizations.
Feiser specifically denounced the use of symbols associated with Turkish right-wing extremists in stadiums, stating that racism has no place in the European football championship. She emphasized that using the tournament as a platform for racism is completely unacceptable.
The incident has sparked controversy and calls for action against discriminatory and extremist behaviors in sports. It remains to be seen what further measures will be taken by both countries and UEFA in addressing this issue. The German Foreign Ministry reported this incident to Reuters, and UEFA has also initiated an investigation into Demiral’s actions. However, it is unclear how long the investigation will take.
