UEFA continues to politicize sport in light of Merih’s hand gesture suspension

UEFA’s frustrated decision to ban Merih Demiral from two Euro 2024 matches on Friday continues to raise serious concerns about the Euro 2024 qualifiers. His alleged “right-wing extremist gesture” or “grey wolf” (boz qurd) in a match against Austria is in reality nothing more than a demonstration of Turkish symbolism.

The Union of European Football Associations said it had taken the decision in light of Merih’s hand gesture, which violated the rules and traditions of the sport. Although this was the first such move by UEFA, the pressure against the Turkish football team was more political in nature than the observance of sporting discipline.

What does this hand gesture represent?

The “Bozgurd” sign, greeting (extending the index fingers forward and bringing the two middle fingers to the tip of the thumb) is a Turkic symbol that originated in Altai. The majority of those who carry the idea of ​​nationalism, Turkism and Turanism have chosen the “Bozgurd” sign as a symbol of their ideological affiliation.

The Bozgurd gesture has pre-Islamic roots; it was attributed to the Turkic peoples from Buddhist culture. Historical studies show that various Turkic peoples, such as the Huns, Kipchaks and Pechenegs, who migrated from there to the West, used this sign to represent their descendants. This symbol is also found in the 10th century Iranian poet Ferdowsi’s “Shahnama”, which contains miniatures of Turkish women making the wolf sign. In addition, there is a 6th century statue of a Turkish khan making the Bozgurd sign in China. It was found in a cave and belongs to the pre-Islamic Göktürks period. Despite its secular nature, Alparslan Türkeş constantly tried to Islamize it to adapt it to the Turkic-Islamic synthesis.

What is the most frustrating thing about UEFA?

In fact, the sign of the “grey wolf” is not legally banned in any European country. This symbol has never been associated with nationalist movements or ethnically motivated crimes. This hand gesture, which is merely a historical symbol, does not indicate anyone, nor does it promote any radical religious, ideological propaganda organization. But what is the real reason that made UEFA so angry that it punished the Turkish football player? Perhaps the German government has become more xenophobic.

Recently, increased anti-Islamic posts on social networks have led to an increase in aggression against the Turkish nation and especially against Muslims. The unfortunate fact is that some ultra-right politicians and government officials themselves support such posts. UEFA’s reaction to a simple gesture by Merih Demiral with political motives reflects the approach of these political circles. It is also a biased approach of Western politicians to the principles of “democracy” that they symbolically idolize.

Because Merih did not chant nationalist slogans like Albanian striker Mirlind Daku did with his fans after the Albania-Croatia match against Macedonia and Serbia. And the Turkish team did not disrespect the territorial integrity of any country by raising a separatist flag in the middle of the stadium.

Of course, in order to cover up its political position in the world of sport, UEFA could not find any other excuse than to exaggerate every little issue and call it a “provocative message”. However, a simple hand gesture by a Turkish football player did not violate the sovereignty of a state or international law. It seems that only Merih Demiral’s rights were violated…

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Elnur Enveroglu is deputy editor-in-chief of AzerNews. Follow him on @ElnurMammadli1

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