Prof. Dr. Bozdoğan: ‘The Grey Wolf is the national symbol of the Turks’

Merih Demiral, who was selected as the man of the match by scoring 2 goals against Austria in the national team’s match, had sparked controversy with his ‘Gray Wolf’ sign and received a 2-match ban from UEFA. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Bozdoğan, who made a statement regarding the issue, said, ‘The Gray Wolf is our national symbol. The fact that the gray wolf mentioned in the Epic of National Foundation and Ergenekon Epic has been used by us for centuries clearly shows that this is our symbol.’
Our national team, after advancing from the group stage in the EURO 2024 championship and facing Austria, secured a spot in the next round. Merih Demiral, who opened the door to the next round by scoring two goals, received a 2-match ban due to his ‘Gray Wolf’ celebration. The decision made by UEFA was met with widespread criticism in the country. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Bozdoğan, an academic at the Department of Turkish Language and Literature at Cumhuriyet University Faculty of Literature, stated, ‘I congratulate the Turkish national football team. I congratulate Merih twice for his gesture. I thank him for displaying the symbol of Turkishness there.’
‘The Gray Wolf is our national symbol’
Prof. Dr. Ahmet Bozdoğan, who expressed his condemnation of UEFA’s decision, said, ‘I don’t know what Europe understands from the Gray Wolf, but we have been using the Gray Wolf as our national symbol for centuries. Europe confuses our nationalism with their nationalist league because they have racism in their nationalist league; whereas our nationalism has both a sociological and cultural basis. If we could have explained this to Europe, Merih might not have received that penalty. I would like to express my regret for the Federation and state officials for apparently not being able to adequately represent our rightfulness.’
‘In Russia it’s the bear, in France it’s the rooster, in Turkey it’s the Gray Wolf’
Pointing out that the gray wolf is a national symbol in many countries, Prof. Dr. Bozdoğan stated, ‘The gray wolf mentioned in the Epic of National Foundation and Ergenekon Epic clearly shows that we have been using this symbol for centuries. The gray wolf on the flag of the Göktürk State is also the clearest indication that this emblem, this symbol, is a symbol we have been using for centuries. Just as the bear is the symbol of the Russians, just as the rooster is the symbol of the French, our symbol is the Gray Wolf. The Gray Wolf is our national symbol that Turkish nationalists embrace with great enthusiasm, but it is a symbol representing the entire Turkish nation. Just as the bear is the symbol of the Russians, just as the rooster is the symbol of the French, our symbol is the Gray Wolf. The Gray Wolf is our national symbol that we have been using for centuries. Therefore, it is out of the question to derive racism or chauvinism from this. I can say that I sincerely applaud the gesture Merih made and I am proud of it. In fact, this gesture was as pride-inducing for me as winning the match.’
‘The wolf symbolizes freedom’
Emphasizing that there is a significance in the selection of the wolf in the past, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Bozdoğan said, ‘The wolf is a symbol of freedom, liberty, independence, unenslavable, and unenslaved worldwide. There are two animals symbolizing freedom in the world: one is the nightingale, the other is the wolf. The nightingale also cannot be enslaved. If you put the nightingale in a cage, it will kill itself by hitting the cage. But the wolf never accepts captivity and never gives up. There are lions and tigers in circuses and zoos, but there are no wolves. Because the wolf has become a symbol of liberty that cannot be enslaved in a cage. Since we Turks have been a freedom-loving nation since we appeared on the stage of history, we have chosen the wolf as our symbol. It is an emblem that we proudly use as an indicator of the unenslavability of the Turks. We must show this to Europe.’