"It is our athletes' natural right to pay tribute to our soldiers after a victory," says Erdogan at a press conference in Ankara.
Turkey's players made the greeting in connection with the European qualifying matches against Albania and France in October, which attracted great criticism. Erdogan believes UEFA's investigation is part of a major campaign against Turkish sports stars who support the country's military offensive in northern Syria.
- Athletes representing our country abroad have been exposed to a lynching campaign since the operation began, he says.