UEFA reprimands Turkey over footballers' military salutes
European football's ruling body UEFA has slapped Turkey with a reprimand for military salutes that Turkish footballers perfomed to mark Ankara's offensive in northeastern Syria. The UEFA has also fined Turkish Football Federation 50,000 euros for crowd disturbances.
Duvar English
European football's ruling body UEFA has slapped Turkey with a reprimand for military salutes performed by the Turkish footballers during two Euro 2020 qualifier matches. The UEFA has also fined Turkish Football Federation (TTF) 50,000 euros for crowd incidents during the matches.
The Turkish players made the military salute on Oct. 11 to celebrate their victory against Albania in Istanbul. Three days later on Oct. 14, they repeated the gesture while celebrating a goal they scored against France in Paris. The salutes were given in support of Turkey's offensive in northeastern Syria.
Amid calls for the UEFA to take a firm action, the organization said on Oct. 15 that it was investigating “potential provocative political behavior” by the players during the two Euro 2020 qualifiers.
The UEFA announced the result of the investigation on Dec. 11, fining the Turkish Football Federation 50,000 euros. TTF acting president Servet Yardımcı made a statement regarding the issue, saying: “There is no fine given related to the military salute. The UEFA has given a fine of 50,000 euros only regarding crowd incidents.”