Many people in the country had great hopes that the European Football Championship would have a unifying effect, that it would bring a divided Europe closer together despite the sporting competition. After the wolf salute by Turkish national player Merih Demiral, who scored twice for Turkey in the 2-1 win against Austria in the round of 16, the relationship between Turkey and Germany looks cool.
Ankara countered various critical comments by German politicians about Demiral’s gesture, a symbol of the right-wing extremist Turkish “Ülkücü” (Grey Wolves) movement monitored by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, by summoning the German ambassador.
The summoning of Ankara was probably an internal measure to keep the anger of people at home on track. Totalitarian states usually react in this way when they feel they are being treated unfairly by foreign countries. This is of course an oversimplification, because it was not the German state that condemned Demiral’s actions, but some, admittedly many, people who are backed by the democratic right to express their opinions.
The Germans have a lot in common with the Turkish national team
It is legitimate that UEFA will now very likely punish the Turkish national player. Such gestures have no place at a major sporting event. Racism and right-wing extremism divide humanity. Demiral has polarized people.
That’s a shame, because the Germans have a lot in common with the Turkish national team. Three of the Turkish European Championship team’s regular players come from Germany and some have already played for the German youth teams. It is therefore likely that on Saturday, from Munich to Berlin, more people will be rooting for the Turks than for the Dutch, out of solidarity and even without Turkish relatives.
One thing is very important: there will not be eleven Demirals on the pitch on Saturday. As long as it was the gesture of one individual, there is still hope that football can bring people together again.