UEFA, the governing body of European soccer, opened an investigation into the “alleged inappropriate behaviour” of Merih Demiral on Wednesday, a day after the Turkish defender celebrated a goal at Euro 2024 with a hand gesture associated with a far-right, ultranationalist group.
Demiral scored twice on Tuesday, lifting Turkey to the quarterfinals of the European championship in a 2-1 win over Austria. After he scored the second goal in the 59th minute, he pinched his fingers together. The gesture resembled the so-called “wolf salute,” a symbol of ultranationalist Turkish group Ulku Ocaklar, known as the Gray Wolves.