UEFA explained different punishments for the leaders of the national teams of England and Turkey

After Jude Bellingham equalized in the quarter-final match against Slovakia, he celebrated with an obscene gesture, pretending to grab his crotch while looking at the opponents' bench. Although the Englishman later explained on social media that his antics were a joke meant only for him and his friends, UEFA still punished him. Bellingham received a fine of €30,000 and a suspended one-match ban, which will not take immediate effect and is subject to a one-year probation period.

Two days later, Turkish defender Merih Demiral was also penalized. After scoring the second and winning goal against Austria, he celebrated with a gesture known as the "wolf salute," associated with Turkish far-right radicals. This gesture is officially recognized as fascist in many countries, including Austria and Germany. As a result, Demiral was suspended for two matches.

UEFA decided to explain why the players received different punishments for their actions. According to talkSPORT, Bellingham's gesture was considered a "Violation of the basic rules of decent conduct." In contrast, Demiral's celebration violated four UEFA rules: "General principles of conduct," "Violation of basic rules of decent conduct," "Using a sports event for manifestations of unsporting character," and "Damaging the reputation of football as a sport."

Therefore, Bellingham will be able to play against Switzerland today, while the Turkish defender will watch his team's match against the Netherlands from the stands.

Earlier, the teams released the projected line-ups for today's Euro 2024 quarter-final matches.

• England vs Switzerland Predicted line-ups and latest news, – July 6, 2024
• Netherlands vs Turkey Predicted line-ups and latest news, – July 6, 2024