Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned on Thursday the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the governing body of football in Europe, for its allegedly discriminatory treatment of the Turkish national team and clubs after their players showed support for Turkey's military during a recent match
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th November, 2019) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned on Thursday the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the governing body of football in Europe, for its allegedly discriminatory treatment of the Turkish national team and clubs after their players showed support for Turkey's military during a recent match.In October, Europe's football authority launched an inquiry at France's request after Turkish players performed a military salute at the EURO 2020 qualifiers in Istanbul and France in tribute to the Turkish soldiers fighting in northern Syria.
According to the president, Turkish athletes, who represent their country abroad, faced a "systematical lynch campaign" since the launch of Ankara's Operation Peace Spring.
"When it comes to Turkey and Turkish athletes, the attitude [of UEFA] changes," Erdogan said, as quoted by the Anadolu news agency.
He added that the UEFA should not allow sports to be politicized and slammed the probe as "an obvious unlawfulness."
In addition, the president recalled that French football star and Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann did not face any UEFA probe after his celebratory salute to French President Emmanuel Macron in Moscow after Les Bleus' (The Blues) victory in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
On October 9, Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring to clear its southern border area of the Islamic State terrorist group (banned in Russia) and Kurdish militia Ankara considers to be terrorists. The United States and Turkey agreed on October 17 to establish a 120-hour ceasefire in the area to allow the withdrawal of the Kurdish fighters. As the five-day ceasefire came to an end, Ankara and Moscow reached an agreement in Sochi that would facilitate the Kurdish fighters' pull back from the border area. Turkey and Russia have since begun joint patrols along the border.
