'UEFA to punish Bellingham after Demiral for obscene gesture after cheering'

Jude Bellingham looks set to escape the nick of time after making an obscene gesture following his spectacular goal against Slovakia in the round of 16 of the European Championship. Deep into injury time, the midfielder grabbed his groin and scored the equaliser.

According to BILD Bellingham gets away with a fine of several hundred thousand. The star player of the Three Lions is therefore still available for the quarter-final against Switzerland next Saturday at 4 p.m.

When footage of the obscene gesture surfaced on social media with the addition of Bellingham targeting the Slovakia bench, the midfielder decided to respond briefly.

“The gesture was a private conversation with some good friends who were at the game. Nothing but respect for how the Slovakian team played against us,” he wrote on X.

That statement seems to save Bellingham now. Moreover, Slovakia has not filed a complaint with UEFA. His gesture was unsportsmanlike, but it was not clearly aimed at his opponent, is the reasoning of BILD.

Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez was also fined at the 2022 World Cup after being named the tournament's best goalkeeper. The goalkeeper celebrated the award ceremony in a most remarkable way by holding the prize up to his genitals.

Suspension Demiral

BILD announced on Thursday that Merih Demiral will be suspended by UEFA for two European Championship matches. The defender will therefore miss the quarter-final match against the Dutch national team on Saturday.

Demiral made the wolf salute after his goal against Austria (1-2 win), a gesture that is always linked to the Grey Wolves, an ultra-nationalist group. The Turkish association denies that Demiral is suspended. More clarity on this will undoubtedly come on Friday.

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