There is real euphoria in Turkey after the national team's placement in the quarter-finals of the European Championship and Saturday's clash with the Netherlands.
Thus, the Turkish presidency officially announced today that Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, will arrive in Germany to watch the duel against the Dutch live in Berlin.
The meeting at the Olympic Stadium follows the diplomatic incident between Germany and Turkey that followed the reaction of the Turkish national team member Merih Demiral during the Round of 16 match against Austria.
Turkey won 2:1, Demiral was the scorer of both Turkish goals, but he celebrated the second with a gesture that raised a lot of dust. Demiral imitated a wolf's head with his hands, a gesture associated with the "Grey Wolves" - the ultra-nationalist wing of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which is a coalition partner of Turkey's ruling AK Party, led by President Erdogan. In Germany, Demiral's move was condemned as racist.
UEFA launched an investigation against the Turkish footballer, while the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs considered that the initiation of proceedings against him was unacceptable and xenophobia.
"Using football as a platform for racism is completely unacceptable. We are waiting for UEFA to investigate this case and consider possible sanctions," said Nancy Pfizer, the German Minister of the Interior.
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