Germany’s broadcast decision sparks outrage among Turkish fans ahead of Euro 2024 match

In the final Group F match of the UEFA Euro 2024, Turkish national football team defeated the Czech Republic 2-1 with a goal in the 90+5th minute, securing their place in the round of 16.

As excitement mounts for upcoming matches in the tournament, a decision by host Germany has sparked outrage among Turkish fans.

Türkiye’s match not to be broadcast

German state broadcasters ARD and ZDF jointly announced that they will not broadcast Türkiye’s upcoming match against Austria on Tuesday, which will be held in Leipzig.

This move has caused discomfort among the approximately 4 million Turkish expatriates in Germany, who pay a quarterly Radio Television tax of 55.08 euros ($59.05) for access to state channels ARD and ZDF. Despite this, Turkish residents will not have access to the match broadcast on these channels.

The decision has triggered significant backlash, particularly among Turkish communities, who are preparing to protest against the decision.

Turkish fans exceed hosting fans

Meanwhile, German media has reported fan attendance numbers from each country following the group stage matches of Euro 2024. Türkiye exceeded even the host nation Germany with 130,000 fans, while Germany had 125,000 fans during the group stage.

You can find the fan numbers for countries in Euro 2024 below:

1. Türkiye: 130,000
2. Germany: 125,000
3. Croatia: 103,000
4. Albania: 95,000
5. Romania: 92,000
6. Scotland: 82,000
7. Netherlands: 80,000
8. Serbia: 73,000
9. Poland: 70,000
10. England: 60,000
11. Austria: 60,000
12. Denmark: 60,000
13. Georgia: 60,000
14. Ukraine: 53,000
15. Belgium: 50,000
16. Hungary: 44,000
17. Slovenia: 44,000
18. France: 41,000
19. Switzerland: 39,000
20. Czech Republic: 38,000
21. Portugal: 37,000
22. Italy: 36,000
23. Slovakia: 35,000
24. Spain: 34,000