Ozil departure puts focus on Turkish relations

BERLIN (Reuters) – German soccer player Mesut Ozil's decision to quit the national team due to "racism and disrespect" he faced his Turkish roots threw a spotlight on Monday on the country's relations with its largest immigrant community.

The most prominent German It would be a problem for the national politician to say that it would be difficult for the national football badociation to stay in the role, adding that OZ would be welcome.

Ozil's announcement on social media late on Sunday lead national newspapers to clear their front pages for the midfielder, 29, a key member of Germany's World Cup-winning side in 2014 – and also of the side of the group at the group stage 2018 tournament in Russia.

The player, who faced a barrage of criticism for having his photograph taken with Turkey's authoritarian President Tayyip Erdogan in May, was especially piqued by German Football Association (DFB) head Reinhard Grindel, who he said blamed him for Germany crashing out of this year's tournament.

Cem Ozdemir, the head of the Greens party and the most prominent politician of Turkish background, said it would be difficult to grindel to do his job in the future given the various reality of Germany and its soccer team.

"It will be very hard for Grindel after this," he told Deutschlandfunk radio. "He does not reflect the breadth of football in Germany and it will be hard for German Turks, or indeed German Croats, to feel that the DFB is theirs."

Former DFB President Theo Zwanziger was quoted in German media as saying the DFB had not done enough to solve the conflicts ahead of the World Cup.

"It seems like a second-clbad thing to Germans," he said, adding: "Ozil's resignation is a major setback for integration efforts beyond football in our country." 19659004] A spokeswoman for Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday that the majority of the roughly 3 million people with Turkish roots were well-integrated.

She also said that the German Chancellor valued Ozil.

The row comes amid A political debate in Germany about an influx of 1.6 million migrants since mid-2014 that has seen a rise of the far right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party at the expense of traditional parties.

It also exposed differences of opinion over the country's wide and well-established Turkish community.

Just as 2014's victorious German side was celebrated for its diversity, so too was France's World Cup-winning team in 2018 for having many key players with African ethnic roots.

CRITICISM AND PRAISE

But the mbad-selling newspaper Bild accused Ozil of "pure self-pity" and its publisher highlighted his decision to post in English, accusing him of trying to maximize his audience.

Ozdemir said that even though it had been naive, however, his departure would be "good news for Erdogan, for the AfD, all those who are against diversity."

Alice Weidel, leader of the AfD, wrote that : "The integration dream does not work even with millionaires football," describing Ozil's "tirade" as a "typical example of failed integration".

In Turkey, however, politicians heaped praise on the player and lashed out at those who had abused him.

"We support from the heart the honorable stance which our brother Mesut Ozil has displayed," Turkish Sports Minister Mehmet Kasapoglu wrote on Twitter on Sunday night.

"What Mesut Özil went through and how he was treated is unforgivable. There is no excuse for racism and discrimination, "Gulnur Aybet, a senior adviser to President Tayyip Erdogan wrote on his Twitter account.

Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin wrote on Twitter on Sunday after Ozil released his statement:

"An extremely accomplished footballer provides a perfectly sufficient explanation for meeting President Erdogan. But imagine the pressure under which he felt compelled to make this statement. What a pity for those who claim to be tolerant and multiculturalist! "