CNN —UEFA has suspended Turkey player Merih Demiral for two games following a controversial hand gesture made by the defender in Turkey’s round of 16 Euro 2024 win against Austria. “Our football player shared a natural joy when he was celebrating with Turkish fans the happiness of a moment … there is no element here that could hurt your opponent or any community. “We will continue to seek our rights through legal means against this double standard applied to our country and our national football player Merih Demiral. Wolfgang Rattay/ReutersFollowing the win against Austria, Demiral posted a picture of himself making the gesture on X. And I felt that to the fullest after the second goal, so I ended up doing that gesture,” Demiral told reporters after the game.

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Persons: Merih Demiral, Demiral, “, Servet Yardimci, ”, ” Yardimci, Osman Aşkın Bak, Wolfgang Rattay, ” Demiral, Turkey’s, Nancy Faeser, Faeser, Tayyip Erdogan Organizations: CNN, UEFA, Austria, Grey Wolves, ” UEFA, Turkey’s, Turkish Football Federation, TFF, “ Football, Turkish, Reuters, European, NTV Locations: Turkey, Turkey’s, Turkish, Netherlands, ” Germany, Berlin, Ankara, Germany