[ad_1]
Chancellor Angela Merkel respects the decision of Turkish-born German player Mesut Özil to leave the national team the day after the booming announcement of his retirement accusing the German football federation of racism "
" As you know Chancellor Mesut Özil is very fond of Mesut Özil is a football player who has done a lot for the national team. decision to be respected, "Angela Merkel spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said on Monday.
The 29-year-old midfielder announced Sunday to retire internationally in a four-page public letter denouncing critics and racism he feels victimized since he posed in May for a photo with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
This departure is controversial in Germany, the popular press shooting in particular red balls on the player who was part of the world champion team in 2014 and that eliminated in a humiliating way at the World Cup this summer.
Ms. Merkel had already stepped up in June to defend Mesut Özil and team-mate Ilkay Gündogan after they were whistled by the public because of their meeting with the Turkish head of state.
"They belong to the national team, and I would be delighted that the fans applaud them too," she had dropped on television.
Many media and public figures in Germany estimated Monday that the step of Mesut Özil This was a reflection of the problems of integration in Germany, some believing that the player was the victim of racist reflexes, while others on the contrary judged, sometimes very virulently, that the Arsenal midfielder was wrong.
Foreign Minister Heiko Maas swept aside the controversy: "I do not think that the case of a multimillionaire living in England teaches us anything about the integration capabilities of Germany".
Source link
