UEFA Fines Turkish Football Federation After Military Salutes by Players

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has fined the Turkish Football Federation 50,000 euros ($55,400) after members of the Turkish national team performed military salutes during games with the teams of Albania and France.

"The CEDB has decided ... to fine the Turkish Football Federation €50,000 as an overall punishment, to include inter alia the crowd disturbances by its supporters on the occasion of the UEFA European Championship 2020 Qualifying Round match between the national teams of Turkey and France on 14 October 2019," the UEFA said in a statement.

Turkey won against the Albanians on 11 October in Istanbul with 1-0 score and reached a 1-1 draw with the French on 14 October in Saint-Denis.

Sixteen Turkish players have also been reprimanded for manifestations of a non-sporting nature as their military salutes have been considered inappropriate due to the political context of the matches.

On 9 October, Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring in northeastern Syria to clear the area of Kurdish units and the Daesh* terrorist group.

The international community has largely decried the Turkish incursion, arguing it could worsen the humanitarian situation in the region and hamper efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis.

*Daesh (also known as IS/ISIS/ISIL/Islamic State) is a terrorist group banned in Russia.