Turkeys Merih Demiral gets two-game UEFA ban for nationalist gesture

BERLIN — UEFA suspended Turkey player Merih Demiral for two matches on Friday for making a controversial hand gesture at the European Championship, an incident that has led to a diplomatic row between Turkey and host nation Germany.The ban rules Demiral out of his team’s quarterfinal against the Netherlands on Saturday, and the semifinal, should Turkey progress.The Turkish Football Federation joined Turkish government officials in denouncing the suspension but said it can’t appeal against it because it’s under the three-game threshold.The leader of Turkey’s nationalist party called on the team to boycott Saturday’s game and return home unless UEFA’s “shameful decision” is reversed.After scoring his second goal in Turkey’s round-of-16 win over Austria, Demiral made a sign with each hand that is used by Turkish nationalists and associated with the Turkish ultra-nationalist organization Ulku Ocaklari, which is more widely known as the Gray Wolves.Demiral said it was an innocent expression of national pride and that he was hoping he’d have “more opportunities to do the same gesture again.”But it was condemned as “racism” by German interior minister Nancy Faeser, and Cem Özdemir, a German politician of Turkish descent, said the gesture “stands for terror, fascism.”Their comments led to a harsh rebuke from Turkish authorities and the summoning of the German ambassador on Wednesday.UEFA said it banned Demiral “for failing to comply with the general principles of conduct, for violating the basic rules of decent conduct, for using sports events for manifestations of a non-sporting nature and for bringing the sport of football into disrepute.”Speaking before the decision, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who changed plans to visit Azerbaijan so he can attend Saturday’s quarterfinal, said the 26-year-old defender had merely expressed his “excitement” after scoring his second goal.Turkish Football Federation president Mehmet ...