Turkey appeals Demiral match ban for extremism; They can still beat Oranje, says Kökçü

Turkish football association TFF said it will file an appeal against the two-match suspension against its defender, Merih Demiral. UEFA announced the measure on Friday in response to Demiral’s use of a hand gesture in his last Euro match which was linked to an extreme nationalist group in his home country. Despite the ban, Turkey’s suspended midfielder, Dutch dual citizen Orkun Kökçü, still thinks his team can defeat the Netherlands on Saturday.

It had already been reported on Thursday night that a suspension for Demiral was pending, but the European Football Association confirmed the news on Friday after an investigation. “We have decided to suspend him for failing to comply with the general principles of conduct, 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,” the UEFA wrote.

The Turkish Football Association does not agree with the decision and will take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), as reported by various Turkish media outlets. The sports tribunal has promised to handle the case before the match against Oranje.

Former Feyenoord midfielder Kökçü is convinced that Turkey can beat the country of his birth on Saturday even without him. Kökçü is suspended because he has received two yellow cards in the tournament. “It hurts a lot that I am not there because of my suspension,” the midfielder told reporters shortly before the team’s training session. “I would give everything to play, but I believe in my teammates. They are going to do everything to win.”