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German midfielder Mesut Ozil announced Sunday his retirement from international football, a month and a half after his photo with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sparked controversy.
Ozil, 29-year-old cornerstone of Germany under coach Joachim Low, announced his decision on Twitter after defending the photo taken with Erdogan and Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan in May, reports Efe .
"It's with heavy heart and after a lot of consideration that's due to recent events, I will not be playing for Germany at the international level while I have that feeling of racism and disrespect. "This decision was extremely difficult to take because I always gave everything for my teammates, coaching staff and good people from Germany. The top officials of the DFB (German Football Federation) treat me like they did, do not respect my Turkish roots and turn me selfishly in political propaganda, then it takes enough, he added
. Critics like Ozil's explicit support for Erdogan's re-election campaign in the context of strained relations with German Chancellor Angela Merkel
"Having a photo with President Erdogan was not a matter of politics or elections, it was about me respecting the highest office of the country in my family, "Ozil said in a long statement on his official Twitter account earlier in the day [19659002] Ozil is considered a symbol of integration in Germany, where people of Turkish origin Largest immigrant community, with 3.5 million inhabitants, half of which retains its right to vote in Turkey
Ozil blasted DFB President Reinhard Grindel, who he accused of attempting to profit from his own political views. "I know Grindel wanted me to get out of the team after the photo, and that he's posting his opinion on Twitter without any thought or consultation, but Low and (Director) Oliver Bierhoff stood up for me and I have argued ""
"In Grindel's and his followers' eyes, I'm German when we win, but I'm an immigrant when we lose.
Low decided to keep both players on his 2018 FIFA World Cup team even though fans raised doubts The controversy haunted both players during the World Cup and the exit Germany's early tournament added fuel on the fire.
"Are there any criteria for being entirely German?" Ozil asked. "My friend Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose are never considered German-Polish, so why am I German-Turkish? Is it because it's Turkey?"
Since his debut in 2009, Ozil has appeared in 92 games for the German national team, scoring 23 goals. He was part of the winning German team of the World Cup in 2014.A
Ozil was also part of the German teams that reached the semifinals of the 2014 World Cup and two championships of the year. Europe in 2012 and 2016.
– IANS
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(This story was not edited by Business Standard staff and is generated automatically from a feed unionized.)
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