Euro-2020: Politicians call to cancel France-Turkey match

France-Turkey qualifier at Euro-2020 on Monday night to be canceled, several politicians demanded on Monday after the Turkish players' salute in a previous match, while Ankara launched an offensive against Kurdish positions in northeastern Syria. The Turkish players celebrated on Friday with this salute a goal against Albania in the playoffs for Euro-2020.

While French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian canceled his presence at the France-Turkey match, LFI MP Alexis Corbière on Twitter called for it to be "officially canceled". "If Turkish footballers do military salutes, they should expect to be treated like the soldiers of an enemy army, so we do not play football against them, the basis of sportsmanship is gone! ", launched Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of La France rebellious, also on Twitter.

"The Turkish football team has flouted the values ​​of sport"

Marine Le Pen, President of the National Gathering, is also in favor of a cancellation: "By acting as a relay for the propaganda of Erdogan, whose actions in Syria are of concern to the international community, the Turkish football team has flouted the values ​​of sport It is time for UEFA to sanction this political drift of the Turkish football federation! ", She urged.

"Unthinkable that Turkish players make the military salute on our soil, or that the Marseillaise is still whistled tonight," insisted the MEP and Vice-President of the RN Jordan Bardella, while Turkish supporters had whistled in June in Konya in the first leg.

Turkish ministers and ambassador to Paris to attend match

The president of the UDI Jean-Christophe Lagarde, also president of the group of studies on the Kurds in the National Assembly, had objected on Sunday evening that "those who salute the massacre of our Kurdish allies" are welcomed at the Stade de France.

At Les Républicains, MP Eric Ciotti called on LCI Interior Minister Christophe Castaner to "suspend" this match, "for security reasons", while many Turkish fans are expected at the Stade de France.

Turkey's sports and justice ministers, as well as the ambassador to Paris, are expected to attend the match, according to a Turkish diplomatic source. UEFA's press chief Philip Townsend said on Sunday that the European football confederation will "examine" the military salute of Turkish players, recalling that the regulation "bans references to politics and religion".