Mesut Özil, resignation of the DFB: reasons, explanations, reactions

Mesut Özil resigned after 92 international matches of the German national team. This was announced by the 2014 World Champion Sunday on his profiles in social networks. The resignation caused an earthquake on a national scale.

Goal examines the reasons for the midfielder's decision, shows his three-part statement in the formulation and provides feedback from sport and politics.

Mesut Özil: The reasons for his resignation from the DFB team

"With a heavy heart and after careful consideration, I will no longer play for the German national team because of the incidents past, "Özil said on Twitter. He criticized "racism and disrespect".

Özil, Arsenal professional, made his debut in the national team on August 12, 2009 in Azerbaijan. He scored 23 goals for the team of the German Football Federation (DFB). His last match was 0: 2 against South Korea in the final match of the World Cup in Russia, thanks to which the team of national coach Joachim Loew was eliminated for the first time in the preliminary round.

Mesut Özil: his career in figures

Özil was strongly criticized for his photo taken in May with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. For two months he had remained silent on this subject. Sunday, he confessed the picture. At the same time, he attacked the German Football Association (DFB) because of his relationship with him in the matter.

He would have "regardless of the elections in Turkey, the photo anyway," writes Özil. He had accepted the photo with Erdogan out of respect for his presidential office – regardless of the person. He rejected a political intention. Instead, Özil referred to his roots. "I have two hearts, one is German, the other Turkish," he wrote. If he had refused to meet Erdogan, he would have denied those roots.

Özil draws his dismissal against the DFB and the sponsors

In a second contribution Özil attacks the DFB and the media. The badociation had done nothing against one of its sponsors (Mercedes-Benz) who had taken it in the wake of Erdogan's case of his World Cup campaign . While the DFB chairman, Reinhard Grindel, whom Özil has not named, demanded a public statement from him for the photo, the sponsor did not have to apologize for any mistakes. failures in the case of exhaust gases.

"Why?" Özil asked, "what does the DFB have to say about all this?" He also criticized the badociation for giving up the public criticism of national record player Lothar Matthäus, as he was photographed on the sidelines of the World Cup with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Özil accuses the German media of racism. He was criticized solely for his antecedents.

In the third article, Özil Grindel was heavily attacked. "I'm not talking about Grindel now, but because I want him, I will no longer be the scapegoat for his incompetence," said Özil: "I know that he wanted me out of the team. , Reinhard Grindel, I am very disappointed but not surprised by his actions. "

Reactions to the resignation of Mesut Özil from the German National Team

Uli Hoeneß to the resignation of Mesut Özil:

President Uli Hoeneß of Bayern Munich noted with sympathy the resignation of Mesut Özil from the German national team and severely criticized the playmaker for his poor performance in the dress of the DFB. Özil announced on Sunday that he no longer wanted to play for Germany.

"I'm glad the Spook is over, he's played dirt for years, he's won the last duel before the 2014 World Cup, and now he's hiding behind his picture and shit performance." by Sports Image The journalist Tobias Altschäffl quoted

Jerome Boateng on the resignation of Mesut Özil:

The resignation policy of Mesut Özil:

19659011] Cem Özdemir (Alliance 90 / The Greens) on the resignation of Mesut Özil

Özil's criticism practiced member of the Bundestag Cem Özdemir of the Greens. It is "very regrettable, as Özil now says, so it plays a role for those who reject our democracy here and there," Özdemir said. Özil had "not lived up to its exemplary function". In addition, it was "fatal", Özdemir continued in the Berliner Zeitung "when the young German Turks now have the impression that they do not have their place in the German national team .It is so that we became world champions in 2014 and France now. "

The Özil photo remains false and its explanation does not stand out. is not convincing. At least as disastrous is the action of the tip of the DFB. #Grindel hacks our story of integration. Do they want to see young German Turks play for Erdogan soon? DFB needs a new start # özil
– Cem Özdemir (@cem_oezdemir) 22 July 2018

Annette Widmann-Mauz (CDU) on the resignation of Mesut Özil:

Annette Widmann-Mauz (CDU), Federal Government Commissioner for Integration, commented: twitter : "With sympathy for family roots, national actors need to be criticized for They go to the elections This legitimate criticism does not turn into a general devaluation of players from immigration. "

Thomas Strobl (CDU) on the resignation of Mesut Özil:

" Nobody must or must not deny its roots, "said Thomas Strobl (CDU), The Interior Minister of Baden-Württemberg, the newspaper Bild. However, he wishes "a clear commitment to the new country of origin and I also wish a clear commitment to our values ​​- and especially to someone like Mr. Erdogan".

Katharina Barley (SPD) on the resignation of Mesut Özil:

This is an alarm signal when a great German footballer like @ MesutOzil1088 in his country no longer wanted because of #Racism and #DFB does not feel represented. # Özil
– Katarina Barley (@katarinabarley) 22 July 2018

Renate Künast (Alliance 90 / The Greens) on the resignation of Mesut Özil:

To put it mildly: who loves # hoeneß has experienced a lot of solidarity despite an offense, should not inflate the cheeks. #Steuerhinterziehung is not a trivial offense, but hurts the general public. https://t.co/sPBtbzc0nX
– Renate Künast (@RenateKuenast) 23. July 2018

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Mesut Özil: Declaration on the withdrawal

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First part of the Declaration on the resignation of Mesut Özil: Meeting with the President Erdogan

"In recent weeks, I have had time to reflect and reflect on the events of the past few months and now I want to share my thoughts and feelings.

Like many other people, my roots go back to more than one country. Growing up in Germany, my family is deeply rooted in Turkey. I have two hearts, a german and a turkish. When I was a kid, my mother taught me to be respectful and never forget where I came from. And these values ​​are still with me today.

In May, I met with President Erdogan at a charity event in London. We met for the first time in 2010 after he and Angela Merkel visited the international match between Germany and Turkey in Berlin. Since then, our paths around the world have crossed again and again.

I am aware that our image has provoked a huge media reaction in Germany, but even though some people accuse me of lying and being wrong – behind the photo was not a problem. Political intentions. As I said, my mother has always taken care to monitor my background, my heritage and my family tradition.

For me, the picture with President Erdogan was not about politics or the election, but the supreme function. Respect the land of my parents. My job is to be a footballer, not a politician, and our meeting was not a commitment to any political content. We talked about football as we always do when we meet, because he also played football in his youth.

Even though the German media have said otherwise: not meeting the president would have meant not respecting the roots of my ancestors – and I know that they are very proud of the place where I am today.

The last two weeks have had time to reflect on the events of the past few months. Therefore, I want to share my thoughts and feelings about what happened. pic.twitter.com/WpWrlHxx74
– Mesut Özil (@ MesutOzil1088) July 22, 2018

For me, it does not matter who is the president, but it is the president. Queen and Premier Theresa May, who were hosts of Erdogan, certainly share this respect for their political function. Whether it is the Turkish President or the German President, I would have done the same.

I can understand that this is difficult to grasp because in most cultures, the political leader is not considered independent of the person, but in this case, it is different. Whatever the outcome of the previous election, or the previous election, I would have made the photo anyway. "

Second part of the Declaration on the resignation of Mesut Özil: Media and Sponsors

I am a footballer who played in the three leagues the more difficult of the world and thankfully, I have a lot of support from my teammates and coaches on my scenes of Bundesliga, Liga and Premier League.Throughout my career, I have learned how to handle the media .

Many people talk about my achievements, they cheer me, they criticize me. If newspapers or TV professionals find mistakes, then I can accept that – I am not a perfect footballer and criticism inspires me to work harder and train harder. But what I can not accept is the German media, which often blame my two origins and a simple photo of having cut a team at the World Cup.

Some German newspapers exploit my background and photo with President Erdogan to advance their political views. Why do you use pictures and titles with my name as a direct explanation of the defeat in Russia? They did not criticize my achievements, they did not criticize the achievements of the team, they criticized my Turkish descent and my respect for my antecedents. A line has been crossed that should never be crossed by the newspapers that are trying to provoke Germany against me.

I also find the double standard of the media disappointing. Lothar Matthäus (an honorary captain of the DFB) met a few days ago another high-ranking politician and had to accept few criticisms about it. Despite his role in the DFB (German national team), he has not been asked to justify publicly, and can represent without any reprimand continue German football. If the German media think that I should not have counted in the World Cup team, then he should not have given up his hat of honor match? Does my Turkish heritage make me a more valuable target?

II / III pic.twitter.com/Jwqv76jkmd
– Mesut Özil (@ MesutOzil1088) 22 July 2018

I've always thought that support belongs to a partnership, both in the good times, but also in more difficult times. Recently, I made the project to visit my old school Berger-Feld in Gelsenkirchen with two of my charity partners. I have been working on a project for a period of one year, which allows immigrant children, children from disadvantaged families, but also all other children to play football together. and learn the rules of social interaction. Unfortunately, a few days before I started, I was abandoned by my so-called partners because they did not want to work with me anymore. In addition, the school informed my management that they did not want to see me because they were "afraid of the media" during my photo with Erdogan and the "rise of the right party in Gelsenkirchen ". Honestly, it really hurts. Although I was a student there, it made me feel junk and unworthy of their time.

In addition, another partner gave me up. As he is also a partner of the DFB, I have been asked for my participation in shooting for the World Cup. But when my photo came up with Erdogan, I flew all the campaigns and all the other appointments were canceled. It was no longer appropriate for them to be badociated with me and they called their approach "crisis management". It's ironic, because a German ministry said its products contained illegal and unauthorized components that endanger the buyers. Hundreds of thousands of products have been recalled. While I was criticized and asked by the DFB to justify my actions, there was no demand for such a public statement from the DFB sponsor. Why? Am I right to badume that it's worse than a photo with the country's president of my country? What does the DFB have to say about all of this?

As I have said before, partners should be with you no matter what. Adidas, Beats and BigShoe have been very loyal and it has been fantastic to work with them all the time. They go beyond the nonsense invented by the German media, and we follow our projects in a professional way, which gives me a lot of pleasure. During the World Cup, working with BigShoe, I helped bring vital surgery to 23 children in Russia, something that I have already done in Brazil and Africa. For me, it's the most important thing I can do as a footballer, but the media have no place to draw attention to these issues. It is more important for her that I am booed than helping children around the world to get surgery. They have the platform to attract attention or collect donations, but they choose not to do so. "

Part III of the Declaration By Mesut Özil: DFB

What has probably been the most disappointing in recent months has been the way of dealing with the DFB in general and President Reinhard Grindel in particular.After the publication of the photo with Erdogan, Joachim m asked Löw, to cancel my holidays, come to Berlin and make a joint statement to put end the discussion and straighten things out.

While I was trying to explain to Grindel my background and the meaning of the photo, he was more interested in talking about his own political views; in my opinion, he was very contemptuous. While his behavior was condescending, we agreed to focus on football and the next World Cup.

That's why I stayed away from Media Day in preparation. I knew that the reporters would talk about politics, not football, and would attack me, even though it seemed like the subject was over after Oliver Bierhoff had given a television interview in Saudi Arabia to the approach of the match.

During the events, I also met with Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Unlike Grindel, President Steinmeier was a professional and interested in what I had to say about my family, my background and my choices. Only Me, Ilkay and President Steinmeier were present at the meeting. Grindel was upset not to get involved in giving up his political agenda

I agree with President Steinmeier to make a joint statement with the intention of returning to the agenda and order of the day. to focus our attention on football again. Grindel was angry that his team did not publish the first statement, but that the press service of Steinmeier had the hat on the subject.

III / III pic.twitter.com/c8aTzYOhWU
– Mesut Özil (@ MesutOzil1088) July 22, 2018

Since the end of the World Cup, Grindel has been under considerable pressure because of his decisions on the eve of the tournament, and rightly so. He recently asked me publicly to explain my actions again, and at the same time he blamed me for the poor performance of the team in Russia, saying in Berlin that the subject was completed.

I do not talk about Grindel here and now, but because I want it. I will no longer be the scapegoat for his incompetence and not doing his job properly. I know that he wanted me to be out of the team after the presentation of the photo, and I made this opinion known to Twitter without thinking or consulting, but Joachim Loew and Oliver Bierhoff were stood before me and supported me

. In the eyes of Grindel and his followers, I am German, if we win and immigrate, if we lose. And although I pay taxes here, invest in schools, and win the 2014 World Cup with Germany, I am not accepted in society. I am treated as someone who is different.

I got the Bambi in 2014 as an example of successful integration into German society, I received the Silver Laurel Leaf from the Federal Republic of Germany. Germany in 2014 and I was German Football Ambbadador in 2015. But of course, I'm not German …? Are there any criteria for being a complete German, that I do not fulfill?

My friends Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose do not always call German-Polish, so why am I German-Turkish? Is it due to Turkey? Is it because I am Muslim? I think that's an important point. By speaking German-Turkish, one already identifies people whose family comes from more than one country. I was born in Germany and I was educated here – so why do not people agree that I am German?

Grindel's opinions are elsewhere. Bernd Holzhauer (a German politician) called me Ziegenfoer because I made the photo with Erdogan and I am of Turkish origin. In addition, Werner Steer (director of the Deutsches Theater Munich) advised me to "kiss" Anatolia, a region of Turkey where many immigrants live

As I have already mentioned : to criticize myself and insult me ​​because of my family history, is a shameful blow below the belt. The use of discrimination as a tool of political propaganda should lead to the immediate resignation of the guilty of this disrespectful behavior. These people took my picture with President Erdogan as an opportunity to express their previously hidden racist views, and this is dangerous for society.

You're not better than the German fans who told me after the match in Sweden: "Ozil" bading bading shit, turkey pig, escape. I do not want to talk about hate mail, phone calls, and social media comments that my family and I have received – they all represent a Germany from the past, a Germany that is not open to new cultures and a Germany of which I am not proud I am very confident that many proud Germans who welcome an open society will agree with me

From you, Reinhard Grindel, I am disappointed Your behavior does not surprise me In 2004, you stated that "multiculturalism is only a myth and a lie of life" and they voted against the dual citizenship and criminal responsibility for bribery, and stated that Islamic e was already deeply rooted in many German cities was. It's inexcusable and unforgettable.

The treatment I learned from the DFB and many others convinced me that I no longer want to wear the German national jersey. I do not feel wanted and I have the impression that the achievements I have made since my debut in 2009 have been forgotten. People with racist backgrounds should not be allowed to work in the largest football badociation in the world, where many players from binational families are present. The attitude of these people simply does not reflect the people they are supposed to represent.

With a heavy heart and after much thought, I came to the conclusion that after the recent events, I will not play for Germany at the international level. Racism and contempt. I have always worn the German jersey with a lot of pride and joy, but this is no longer the case today.

I had a lot of trouble making this decision because I always had everything for my teammates, coaches and good people in Germany, but if the senior officials of the DFB treat me like they have done, despising my Turkish roots and making me the tool of their own political propaganda, that is enough. I do not play football for that, and I will not sit and do nothing. Racism should never be tolerated.