EUROPE’S football ruling body UEFA has declared that England’s Jude Bellingham is free to play in his country’s Euro 2024 European Championship quarter-final against Switzerland on Saturday but suspended Turkey’s Merih Demiral for two matches.
The two players made inappropriate gestures after scoring for their countries in their round of 16 clashes, Bellingham in England’s 2-1 victory over Slovakia on Saturday, Demiral in Turkey’s win over Austria by the same margin on Tuesday.
Real Madrid star Bellingham has been given a one-match suspended ban and fine for the gesture he made in the last-16 win over Slovakia.
The 21-year-old’s ban is suspended for a year and he has also been fined £25,400.
Bellingham’s crotch-grabbing gesture towards the Slovakian bench after scoring a late equaliser in the 2-1 victory was investigated by UEFA, but he denied that it was aimed at England’s opponents.
In Demiral’s case, the Saudi Arabia-based defender scored twice against Austria and celebrated his second goal with a ‘wolf whistle’.
The gesture, which is banned in Austria and France, is associated with the far-right extremist group Grey Wolves that is closely linked with Turkey’s ruling coalition party the National Movement Party.
UEFA said in a statement Demiral was banned “for violating the basic rules of decent conduct, for using sports events for manifestations of a non-sporting nature and for bringing the sport of football into disrepute.”
Turkey have appealed the two-match ban and hope it will be resolved before their quarter-final against the Netherlands in Berlin tomorrow night.
England face Switzerland in Duesseldorf tomorrow evening from 5pm Nigerian time.
