Jude Bellingham is free to play in England’s Euro 2024 quarter-final against Switzerland on Saturday after being given a one-match suspended ban and fine for a gesture he made in the last-16 win over Slovakia.
The 21-year-old’s ban is suspended for a year and he has also been fined €30,000.
The midfielder’s crotch-grabbing gesture towards the Slovakian bench after scoring a late equaliser in the 2-1 victory was investigated by Uefa.
Bellingham, who has made the gesture while playing for his club side Real Madrid, denied that it was aimed at England’s opponents.
Responding to the incident on social media, Bellingham said it was “an inside-joke gesture towards some close friends who were at the game”, adding he had “nothing but respect for how Slovakia played”.
Meanwhile, Turkey defender Merih Demiral has been given a two-match ban for making an ultra-nationalist salute during his country’s Euro 2024 win against Austria.
Demiral scored both Turkey’s goals as they beat Austria 2-1 to earn a quarter-final spot against the Netherlands on Saturday.
The Al-Ahli defender celebrated his second goal with a ‘wolf salute’, a gesture associated with the far-right extremist group Grey Wolves that is linked with Turkey’s ruling coalition party the National Movement Party.
Demiral said the salute, which is banned in Austria and France, was pre-planned in case he scored in the last-16 tie.
He was charged by Uefa – European football’s governing body – for failing to comply with 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.
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