Paris (AFP)
The non-broadcast on television of Turkish soldiers' salute images on Monday night during the France-Turkey football match is not a deliberate choice of M6 but can be explained according to the French channel by the fact that it then showed slow motion and interviews.
However, a possible intervention of the chain to prevent the dissemination of this controversial greeting, in support of the soldiers engaged in the Turkish offensive in Syria against Kurdish forces, would have been in accordance with the specifications of UEFA, said M6 Tuesday.
"M6 was yesterday evening producer of the international signal of the match (thus for France and abroad) according to a specification of the UEFA, in which it is asked not to diffuse any sign or banner with political connotations", indicates the chain in a statement to AFP.
"It turns out that the first salute was made after the Turkish goal when we released the idle goal.The second salute was made after the end of the match when we were in interview with the players ", continues the chain, stating that" if intervention had had to, it would have been done in accordance with the specifications of UEFA ", governing body of football in Europe.
The Euro-2020 qualifying match (1-1) gave M6 its best audience of the year, with 7.4 million viewers on average, or 31.4% of the audience.
This meeting took place in the midst of a diplomatic crisis between Ankara and the European capitals, including Paris, at the moment when the Turkish army is carrying out a military operation in northern Syria against the Kurdish forces.
The military greetings of the Turkish players were not broadcast in France or Turkey, which provoked the indignation of the commentator of the Turkish state TV TRT, who lamented: "Why do not they show the military salute? It's beautiful, why do not you show it? "
A photo of the Turkish players doing the military salute quickly spread on social networks. Several ministers of President Erdogan shared it. This is particularly the case of the Minister of Sports, Mehmet Kasapoglu, who attended the match.
In France, on the other hand, Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu asked UEFA on Twitter "an exemplary sanction": "Thanks to the French Football Federation and the police for their work to ensure the smooth running The Turkish players spoiled these efforts by making a military salute, contrary to the sports spirit, "she regretted.
© 2019 AFP