Mesut Özil has announced to quit German football team over racism, while also blaming a national team sponsor for racial bias.
In what would potentially be called an end of an epic era of the German football, Mesut Özil has announced that he will not play for Germany anymore after recent racial attacks on him, criticising his lacklustre performance during the recently concluded FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia.
Ozil said that one of the DFB sponsors, which he did not name, had removed him from all the planned promotional activities including a video shoot, shortly before the World Cup 2018 kick-off.
He further revealed that he has been receiving hate mails, death threats over phone and abusive comments on social media after Germany’s inglorious ouster from the FIFA World Cup 2018.
Germany saw the darkest hours of its football legacy as they failed to soar beyond the group stage matches, getting reeled down with shocking defeats at the hands of Mexico and South Korea.
Ozil, for his Turkish origin, had been under fire since posing for a controversial photograph with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in May which sparked questions about his loyalty to the German squad ahead of the tournament in Russia.
Ozil, has revealed his decision to quit the Die Mannschaft at the end of his emotionally charged, strong-worded four page statement that he uploaded on his Twitter and Instagram accounts.
Ozil, in his statement has alleged that the German media has portrayed him differently, raising questions and attacking his family lineage and ethnic background. The 29-year old has said in its defence that the picture considered controversial was taken at a charitable and education event and that, it has nothing to do with politics or elections.
The timing of the picture with teammate Ilkay Gundogan and Erdogan, coincided with the time shortly before the president won re-election in a poll endowing him with sweeping new powers. “it wasn’t about politics or elections, it was about me respecting the highest office of my family’s country,” said Ozil.
The Arsenal midfielder blamed the German Football Federation (DFB) for failing to defend him against his most strident critics. “Arguably the issue that has frustrated me the most over the past couple of months has been the mistreatment from the DFB, and in particular the DFB President Richard Grindel,” he said.
He said that Grindel and Germany coach Joachim Loew had asked him to give a “joint statement to end all the talk and set the record straight” over the picture with Erdogan. Ozil was then on a holiday as he was asked to cut short his trip and come back to Berlin. “Whilst I attempted to explain to Grindel my heritage, ancestry and therefore reasoning behind the photo, he was far more interested in speaking about his own political views and belittling my opinion.”
Ozil said that he was forced to take all the burden of blames for Germany’s poor show, especially their defeat in the first tie against Mexico at the World Cup. “I will no longer stand for being a scapegoat for his (Grindel’s) incompetence and inability to do his job properly. In the eyes of Grindel and his supporters, I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose.”
Ozil was also angry over German Newspaper, who he said have used his background and the photo with Turkish president Erdogan as a right wing propaganda to enrich their political cause further. “Why else did they use pictures and headline with my name as a direct explanation for defeat in Russia? They didn’t criticise my performances, they didn’t criticise my team’s performance, they just criticised my Turkish ancestry and respect for my upbringing. This crosses a personal line that should never be crossed as newspapers try to turn the nation against me.”
The 2014 World Cup winner was also furious with disparaging remarks by former captain Lothar Matthaeus, who he noted “met with another world leader a few days back and received almost no media criticism” in an apparent reference to an appearance with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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