Erdoğan shifts schedule to watch Euros match in Berlin

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has canceled his scheduled visit to Azerbaijan to instead attend the Euro 2024 quarterfinal match in Berlin between Türkiye and the Netherlands on July 6.

The president was initially slated to attend the Organization of Turkic States summit in the Shusha city on the same day. Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz is expected to attend the event.

Erdoğan's plans changed following UEFA's investigation into Turkish defender Merih Demiral for making a "grey wolf" sign during his goal celebration in a 2-1 win over Austria.

The disciplinary action followed a request from Germany's Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, who condemned the celebration as racist due to its far-right associations.

"The symbols of Turkish right-wing extremists have no place in our stadiums. Using the European football championships as a platform for racism is completely unacceptable," she wrote on X.

Türkiye's Foreign Ministry responded by summoning Germany's ambassador, Jürgen Schulz.

In a statement on July 3, the ministry labeled the investigation as "unacceptable" as the sign is not banned in Germany.

“[Therefore] reactions displayed by the German authorities against Mr. Demiral are themselves containing xenophobia,” the statement read, describing this gesture as cultural and historical.

The grey wolf is a sacred animal and national symbol in Turkish mythology, with the hand gesture introduced to Turkish politics in the early 1990s by Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) founder Alparslan Türkeş.

Demiral addressed the issue in a press conference following the match.

"I am very proud to be Turkish, I felt it in my bones after the goal," said Demiral, who was named man of the match after scoring both of Türkiye's goals. "There is no message, I just wanted to show how proud and happy I am."

CHP leader Özgür Özel also criticized UEFA in remarks to reporters on July 4. "We do not find it right to investigate a young footballer for the sign he used while celebrating a goal," he said.

Meanwhile, supporters of the Austrian team were reported during the game to have sung racist lyrics to the tune of the popular dance track "L'Amour Toujours" by Italian DJ Gigi D'Agostino.

The chant – which includes the line "foreigners out" – recently caused controversy in Germany after a widely shared clip showed a group of young people singing it on a bar terrace.

Erdoğan's trip to Germany will follow his meeting in the Kazakh capital Astana with several leaders, including Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

He also held a trilateral meeting with Azerbaijani President İlham Aliyev and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, followed by discussions with Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The two-day summit concluded on June 4.

Following his visit to Germany, Erdoğan will travel to the United States for a NATO summit in Washington from July 9 to 11.