Ozil: Mesut Ozil, citing "racism", leaves Germany after the breakup of the World Cup | Football News

BERLIN: Mesut Ozil said Sunday that he was leaving the German national football team, citing "racism" in criticism of him after the debacle of the World Cup.

Ozil, who has Turkish roots, had been criticized since he had posed for a controversial photo with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in May, which sparked questions about his loyalty to him. German team before the tournament in Russia.

In a four-page statement posted on three images on Twitter and Instagram, an angry Ozil saved his bomb for the last salvo.

"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, "he said.

The midfielder of Arsenal has criticized the German Football Federation (DFB) for not having defended it against its fiercest critics.

"The most frustrating question in the past two months has undoubtedly been the bad treatment of the DFB, and in particular DFB President Richard Grindel," he said. he declared.

He said that Joachim Loew, coach of Grindel and Germany, had asked him to make a "joint statement to end all debates and set the record straight" on the painting with Erdogan.

"While I was trying to explain to Grindel my heritage, my ancestry and therefore the reasoning behind the photo, he was much more interested in talking about his own political views and belittling my opinion."

Ozil, 29, said he had been unfairly blamed in Germany for the surprise defeat of the first round against the World Cup.

"I will no longer be a scapegoat for his (Grindel's) incompetence and inability to do his job properly," he said.

"In the eyes of Grindel and his followers, I'm German when you win, but I'm an immigrant when you lose."

Ozil had said earlier that he was loyal to both his Turkish and German origins and insisted that he had no intention of making a political statement in appearing with Erdogan.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with Mesut Ozil on May 14, 2018 in London. (AFP Photo)

"Like many people, my ancestry goes back to more than one country.When I grew up in Germany, my family origins have their roots in Turkey," he said. declared.

"I have two hearts, a German and a Turkish."

Ozil said that despite the timing of the photo with team-mate Ilkay Gundogan and Erdogan – shortly before the president was re-elected in a vote conferring new powers on him – "it was not about no politics or elections, was about me respecting the highest function of the country of my family ".

"My job is a football player and not a politician, and our meeting was not an endorsement of any policy," Ozil added.

Germany is home to over three million people of Turkish origin.

Manchester City midfielder Gundogan presented Erdogan with a signed club shirt on which he wrote "to my president".

Both players were booed by German fans in friendly matches against the World Cup, and Ozil said Sunday that his family had received threats.

After the tournament, Ozil was criticized by DFB officials and German politicians.

Ozil said that he could tolerate criticism of his performance on the ground, but not when he was tied to his ethnicity.

"If a newspaper or an expert finds a fault in a game in which I play, then I can accept it," he said.

"But what I can not accept, is that the German media repeatedly blame my double heritage and a simple image of a bad World Cup on behalf of a team whole, "he added.

"This is going through a personal line that should never be crossed, as newspapers are trying to divert the nation from Germany against me."

He also virulently denounced the derogatory remarks of former Captain Lothar Matthaeus, who "met with another world leader a few days ago and has hardly been criticized by the media" in an apparent allusion to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

And Ozil quipped against an anonymous sponsor, who, he said, removed promotional videos for the World Cup after images with Erdogan emerged.

"For them, it was no longer good to be seen with me and (they) called the situation" crisis management ", he said.