FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Euro 2024 - Round of 16 - Austria v Turkey - Leipzig Stadium, Leipzig, Germany - July 2, 2024 Turkey's Merih Demiral celebrates scoring their second goal REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File Photo
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser on Wednesday condemned a hand gesture made by Turkish football player Merih Demiral at Tuesday's European Championship game between Turkey and Austria.
"The symbols of Turkish right-wing extremists have no place in our stadiums," Faeser said in a post on X.
"Using the European Football Championship as a platform for racism is completely unacceptable. We expect UEFA to investigate the case and consider sanctions," she added.
The so-called "wolf salute", with the little finger and index finger raised, is linked to the Turkish right-wing extremist group "Grey Wolves", which Faeser added is under surveillance by Germany's domestic intelligence service.
(Reporting by Chiara Holzhaeuser; Editing by Ludwig Burger)
