Bellingham to Shaqiri: When controversial gestures sour celebrations

The midfielder struck in the 95th minute to equalise before England went on to beat Slovakia 2-1 after extra-time on Sunday to set up a quarter-final clash with Switzerland.

In the aftermath of the goal, Bellingham was spotted mimicking a crotch grab while apparently looking towards the Slovakian bench.

The star has since reassured supporters it was simply an inside joke between himself and some friends.

"An inside joke gesture towards some close friends who were at the game. Nothing but respect for how that Slovakia team played tonight," Bellingham said on X.

However, organisers Uefa said an investigation had been launched into "a potential violation of the basic rules of decent conduct by the English Football Association player, Jude Bellingham, having allegedly occurred in the scope of this match."

There's also been more similar but unrelated controversy since, with Turkey's match-winner Merih Demiral also coming under fire for his "wolf salute" celebration after his nation's last-16 victory over Austria.

The gesture - mimicking the shape of a wolf's head - is linked to the right-wing "Grey Wolves", an ultra-nationalist youth branch of Turkey's Nationalist Movement Party.

Here, Flashscore takes a look back at a few more high-profile moments of celebratory controversy in football:

Xherdan Shaqiri's double eagle

Switzerland's Xherdan Shaqiri, who has Kosovar Albanian heritage, celebrated his goals against Serbia with a "double eagle" gesture, mimicking the Albanian national emblem.

Tensions were already high between Serbia and Albania due to historical conflicts, notably the Yugoslav and Kosovan wars, the latter resulting in the deaths of 3,368 civilians.

Shaqiri's gesture - which was also mimicked by teammate Granit Xhaka, who shares the same heritage - was seen as a symbol of Albanian nationalism and ignited a firestorm on the pitch and beyond.

At the time, Shaqiri attempted to downplay the celebration, saying, "It's just emotion. I'm very happy to score this goal. It's not more. We don't have to speak about this now."

FIFA ultimately fined Shaqiri and Xhaka £7,600 for the celebration, but it remained a memorable and potent symbol of the geopolitical tensions that can be simmering beneath the surface of the beautiful game.

Nicolas Anelka's 'quenelle'

French striker Nicolas Anelka caused a bit of a stir when he celebrated a goal for West Brom (one of the several clubs you could be forgiven for forgetting he'd played for) against West Ham with a "quenelle" gesture.

The goals were his first for the club after his arrival in 2013 for the at that time 34-year-old, and he celebrated by making the hand signal; an inverted Nazi salute popularised in France by his controversial comedian friend Dieudonne.

Some have linked this gesture to anti-Semitism, leading to his expulsion from the French national team. Anelka himself denied any anti-Semitic intent, claiming it was a dedication to his friend in question who uses the gesture.

However, the damage was done, and the club let him go at the end of the season amid a long-running heated debate in the press.

Gazza's flute against Celtic

English midfielder Paul Gascoigne, known for his lively personality and on-field pranks, sparked more controversy in a career littered with crazy moments while celebrating a goal for Rangers against Celtic - at Celtic Park, no less - in an always fiery Old Firm Derby.

Shortly after his arrival in Glasgow, teammates dared Gazza to mimic playing the flute, mocking a sectarian chant aimed at him by the Celtic fans.

In the aftermath, the Englishman revealed that he did not realise that he was miming an Orange walk marcher playing 'The Sash', a symbol of Loyalist supremacy and sure to infuriate Catholics.

While some saw it as lighthearted banter, others found it offensive and disrespectful, particularly given the historical and religious tensions in Glasgow.

"How big it is in the derby, where unfortunately it can be Catholic against Protestant, I know that more than anything. I won't be doing that again," the Geordie later said about the incident, which landed him a £20,000 fine by Rangers and alleged actual death threats from the IRA.

Robbie Fowler crosses the line

Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler's goal celebration against local rivals Everton remains a more tongue-in-cheek (or nose-in-bag) example of controversial celebrations.

After scoring, Fowler knelt down on the Anfield sideline and pretended to snort a gigantic imaginary line of cocaine off the ground of one of the white pitch markings.

The gesture was widely condemned as insensitive and disrespectful to those affected by drug abuse and caused a bit of a stir in the newspapers for being in poor taste.

At the time, Fowler claimed it was a lighthearted dig at a particular fan who had been taunting him throughout the match, and Fowler had been on the receiving end of similar drug-related taunts throughout his career.

Either way, the striker's cheeky line gag earned him a four-match ban, which came not long after he was slapped with a two-match suspension for homophobic taunts towards then-Chelsea left-back Graeme Le Saux the previous month.

Paolo Di Canio's Nazi salute

Arguably one of the most offensive gestures seen in football history - and oddly seemingly forgotten about - in 2005, Paolo Di Canio twice gave straight-arm salutes to fans in Italy.

While playing for Lazio against fierce rivals Roma, the Italian forward performed the fascist salute towards the Lazio fans after scoring a goal, leading to widespread condemnation.

He also reportedly declared afterwards: "I am a fascist, not a racist."

Di Canio was fined and received a one-match suspension, but the incident didn't hinder his career as much as it might have, with former Labour politician David Miliband quitting the Sunderland board after the Italian arrived as manager in April 2013, one of many managerial stints since his playing days.