UEFA ban on Turkish footballer shows double standards: sports lawyer

ISTANBUL

The UEFA ban on Turkish footballer Merih Demiral for a celebratory hand gesture after winning the EURO 2024 match on Tuesday shows a double standard, said a sports lawyer.

After his 2-1 victory against Austria, Demiral celebrated by forming a wolf’s head with his fingers, known in Turkish culture as the sign of the grey wolf.

At the urging of German officials, the European Football Association launched an investigation and later imposed a two-match ban.

The punishment was “clearly excessive, unfair and beyond legal limits,” said Anil Dincer, head of the legal department of the Turkish football club Samsunspor, in an exclusive interview with Anadolu.

Dincer said UEFA’s decision was not in line with legal sanctions and precedents, stressing that a football player celebrating a symbol of national and spiritual significance should not be subject to such a penalty.

He said that similar incidents had occurred at other games, but most of them had not even resulted in an investigation or punishment, which underscored the anti-Turkish attitude of European officials.

“Swiss footballer Xherdan Shaqiri made the eagle gesture during a match against Serbia, while Dutch footballer Wout Weghorst showed the lion’s paw after scoring a goal. Even more outrageous was that Dusan Tadic, who plays in our country (in the Super Lig), made the Chetnik salute during Serbia’s match against Montenegro.

“There is no need to explain what this is; these incidents were not even investigated. Shaqiri was only fined for the eagle gesture. Previously, our footballers were also punished during national team matches. They were punished for showing the soldier’s salute, thereby showing solidarity and struggle in Turkey. To be honest, this decision shocked me,” said Dincer.

He also referred to Jude Bellingham’s offensive gesture in the European Championship match against Slovakia, for which he was sentenced to a one-match suspension and a fine of 30,000 euros ($32,470).

He said no lawyer or disciplinary committee could justify this decision as fair or lawful. “First of all, there must be consistency in the law. Decisions must be consistent with each other. In the previous cases I mentioned, there was not even an investigation or a decision. Let’s put all that aside; even the British themselves would admit that Bellingham should receive a harsher punishment than Merih.”

“Any conscientious person who trusts in justice, equality and the pursuit of fairness will understand that there are double standards, discrimination and evil intentions behind this decision, which is politically motivated against Turkey,” the lawyer said.

“Unfortunately, there is a sensitive issue in Europe, particularly in relation to discrimination and racism, of which UEFA is aware. However, Turkey is the country that is exposed to discrimination and double standards here. UEFA has taken a discriminatory decision against Turkey.”

“Bellingham decision will serve as a good precedent”

Dincer, who advises football club Besiktas and has also worked with law firms in Britain, said Ankara was continuing its efforts to lift the ban and had decided to turn to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) submitted its defence for Demiral to UEFA, arguing that the shield was a 1,000-year-old symbol of Turkish tradition.

“The main objective will be to demand the lifting of the ban. It will argue that the ban is unfair and highlight incidents that have not been punished. The decision in Bellingham will serve as a good precedent and will challenge the fairness of this decision. It is imperative that the CAS lifts this ban,” he added.

Provocation warning for Turkish fans

Dincer called on Turkish fans, who will attend the quarter-final match against the Netherlands in Berlin on Saturday, to show their reactions without resorting to provocation.

“Let us register our protest within the legal framework. Let us support our players. Our players will respond wonderfully… I am sure that we will have a beautiful victory tomorrow and give the best response on the field,” he said. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will also attend the match.

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