UEFA holds inquiry on Turkish players' soldier salute

By Davut Demircan

ANKARA (AA) - UEFA, European football’s governing body, launched an investigation on Tuesday against Turkey for a military salute performed by players of its national team.

Turkish National Football Team players did military salutes while celebrating a goal they scored during the UEFA EURO 2020 Qualifiers against Albania in Istanbul, as well as during their match against France in Saint-Denis, in reference to Turkey's anti-terror operation in Syria launched on Oct. 9.

UEFA initiated "disciplinary investigations" for the matches, appointing an inspector with regard to "potential provocative political behaviour," UEFA said in a statement.

During the matches, Turkish players celebrated their goals by a soldier's salute, dedicating their goal to Turkish soldiers currently fighting in northern Syria in the ongoing Operation Peace Spring.