Bolu Municipality will erect a statue of Merih Demiral, who was fined for making the wolf sign.

Our national football player Merih Demiral has been punished by UEFA with a 2-match ban for his wolf gesture after scoring a goal against Austria in the round of 16 of the 2024 European Football Championship. While politicians reacted to the punishment, the most notable response came from Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan.

CONDEMNED THE PUNISHERS

In a statement on his social media account, Mayor Özcan said, "I strongly and hatefully condemn the punishment given to Merih Demiral. I curse the Football Federation that couldn't prevent this punishment."

"I WILL ERECT A STATUE OF MERIH DEMIRAL"

In his post, Mayor Özcan said that he will erect a statue of Merih Demiral making the wolf gesture and stated, "I promise you that I will erect a statue of Merih Demiral making the wolf gesture in Bolu. Let's see if Europe will punish me too."

CALLED ON NATIONAL FOOTBALL PLAYERS TO MAKE THE WOLF GESTURE

In his continued statement, Mayor Özcan emphasized that the wolf gesture is a symbol of the Turkish nation and not exclusive to any political party. He said, "I expect all football players to make the wolf gesture as a protest during the National Anthem in the match against the Netherlands! This call is also valid for the fans! How fortunate is the one who can say 'I am Turkish'."

WHAT HAPPENED?

Our national football player Merih Demiral had made the wolf gesture to celebrate after scoring goals in the match against Austria. Speaking after the match, Demiral said, "There is no message, I just wanted to show how proud and happy I am." This gesture by Merih caused a great reaction, and German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had requested sanctions from UEFA regarding this goal celebration. UEFA had initiated an investigation against our national football player for "inappropriate behavior" as stated in their announcement on July 2, 2024. The statement read, "An investigation has been opened in accordance with Article 31(4) of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations regarding the alleged inappropriate behavior of Merih Demiral, a player of the Turkish Football Federation, in the 2024 UEFA European Championship Round of 16 match between Austria and Turkey, which took place in Leipzig, Germany, on July 2, 2024. More detailed information will be provided in the coming days." UEFA concluded the investigation and imposed a 2-match ban on our national football player Merih Demiral.