Ozil leaves the German national party citing racism on the Turkish heritage

BERLIN – German soccer star Mesut Ozil said Sunday that he would no longer play for the national team because he was confronted with "racism and racism". disrespect "because of its Turkish roots.

published by an actor in recent years on racism and met with mixed reactions.

He comes amidst a political debate in Germany over an influx of 1.6 million migrants since mid-2014 which saw a rise of the far right to

Ozil, 29 years, was a key member of the side of the World Cup in Germany in 2014 and has been voted by the fans as the player of the year of the team five times since 2011.

But the Creative The midfielder faced a barrage of criticism for taking his picture with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in May

He and Ilkay Gundogan, a teammate also of Turkish origin who posed with Erdogan, were mocked by German fans of the games before the World Cup in Russia

Germany has failed to qualify for the group stage, making its first outing of the tournament in 80 years and Ozil has been one of the scapegoats of his defeat.

Ozil, who plays for the English club Arsenal, said the president of the German Football Federation (DFB), Reinhard Grindel, had blamed him for the poor German performance [19659004] "In the eyes of Grindel and his followers, I am German." Ozil wrote in a long English statement posted on his Twitter account

He added that he did not feel accepted in German society despite his taxes, that he was donating to German schools and was part of the team that won the World Cup. 19659004] "It is with heavy heart and after much consideration that". because of recent events, i will no longer play for germany internationally while i have that feeling of racism and disrespect, "he said. Wea" The german shirt is so proud and exciting, but now I do not do it, "he said." I feel undesirable and What I have achieved since my international debut in 2009 has been forgotten. "

DUAL HERITAGE

Many European footballers who play for national teams have a different heritage. but it is extremely rare that such actors cite the racism resulting from these roots as a reason to abandon their national camp.

There is also a debate about whether enough has been done to eradicate racism in sport. have faced over the decades often in the form of chants by opposing fans.

Ozil is asked if there were criteria to be German that he did not meet and asked why he should be designated as German-Turkish Podolski and Miroslav Klose were not considered German-Polish.

"Is it because it is Turkey? Is it because I am a Muslim? I think it is a big problem," he said.

The German Social Democratic Justice Minister Katarina Barley said on Twitter: "It is alarming to see a great German football player like Mesut Ozil"

Cem Ozdemir, a veteran legislator of the Greens, who has Turkish roots, said Ozil's photo was false and his explanation unconvincing, but added, "The way the DFB leaders acted is at least as disastrous." hack our history of integration in pieces.Do they want the young Germans-Turks to start playing for Erdogan soon? The DFB needs a fresh start. "

But others have criticized Ozil, along with Thomas Bareiss, a an important member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives, saying that Ozil's accusations of racism and disrespect were "out of place." The Belling newspaper said, "Ozil is reveling in the victim role that has nothing to do with reality."

Ozil has 92 caps for Germany and scored 23 goals.

Earlier on Sunday, Ozil defended the photograph in which he was photographed beaming with Erdogan, who was campaigning for reelection at the time.

"For me to have a photo with President Erdogan was not about politics or elections, it was about me" "TWO HEARTS, A GERMAN, A TURK"

Relations between Germany and Turkey faded following the Erdogan government's crackdown on alleged supporters of a failed military state coup in July, 2016. German L & # 39; Germany and Turkey are both candidates for the organization of the Euro 2024 tournament and Uefa will hold a meeting on 27 September to choose between them.

Ozil said that his mother had always told him to be respectful and to remember his ancestors, his heritage and his family traditions, adding, "I have two hearts, a German and a Turkish . "

Many fans and politicians in Germany were irritated by the photo with Erdogan. criticized by politicians and the German football federation, which claimed that Erdogan did not sufficiently respect German values.