Turkey footballers defy Uefa again by celebrating with military salute
Turkey’s players defied Uefa with another military salute in their 1-1 draw with France during a European Championship qualifier on Monday.
Uefa was already looking into Turkish players’ salutes during and after Friday’s 1-0 win over Albania. The European football federation prohibits political statements in stadiums.
But Turkish players lined up again to show a military salute after Kaan Ayhan’s late equaliser in Paris. Captain Burak Yilmaz was joined by goalkeeper Mert Günok and several other outfield players in giving the salute toward the crowd in an apparent support of the Turkish forces involved in the country’s incursion into Kurdish-held regions in northern Syria.
Defender Merih Demiral urged Ayhan to salute, too, leading to what looked like a heated discussion between the pair, but the goalscorer desisted and made his way back to the pitch.
Ayhan and Turkey striker Kenan Karaman both play for German side Fortuna Düsseldorf, which had issued a statement after Friday’s game to distance itself from “politically motivated acts”. Düsseldorf sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel said: “Both players stand for values that the club lives by.”
Uefa has now opened an investigation into the incidents.
The Everton striker Cenk Tosun was another player who used the military salute on Friday against Albania and, after the game, he posted on Instagram an image of himself and the message: “For our nation, especially for the ones who are risking their lives for our nation.” The Leicester City defender Caglar Soyuncu, who played for Turkey in both games, showed his support for Tosun’s message, replying with heart emojis and the Turkish flag.
This post was also ‘liked’ by Germany internationals Ilkay Gündogan and Emre Can, who both have Turkish heritage, causing German Football Association director Oliver Bierhoff to say the pair had “made a mistake” on the social media site. Gündogan and Can would later remove their likes, with the pair releasing statements after Germany’s Euro 2020 qualifying win over Estonia on Sunday. “I am absolutely a pacifist and against all forms of war,” said Can, while Gündogan added: “I can only stress again that there was no political intention behind it. I wanted to congratulate a friend [Tosun] for the goal and the victory.”
German club St Pauli took more drastic action by releasing one of their players, Cenk Sahin, after the midfielder posted his own message of support for the Turkish military.
“We’re on the side of our heroic military and armies. Our prayers are with you!” Sahin posted on Instagram, prompting St Pauli to release the following statement: “Sahin has been released from his training and playing duties with immediate effect. The prime factors in reaching the decisions were his repeated disregard for the club’s values and the need to protect the player.”