Ozil's retirement surprised the German coach Loew | Football News



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BERLIN: The shock of Mesut Ozil's withdrawal from international football has surprised Germany's head coach Joachim Loew, it was reported Tuesday.

Loew was on vacation in Sardinia when news of Ozil's retirement erupted on Sunday and he only discovered when the Arsenal midfielder posted statements on Twitter and Instagram.

"Neither the national coach nor myself have been informed in advance," confirmed Loew's agent, Harun Arslan, to the German daily Bild.

Ozil, 29, launched a bomb by announcing his retirement from Germany and accused the president of the German federation, Reinhard Grindel, of racism.

"In the eyes of Grindel and his followers, I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose," wrote Ozil in his long farewell statement.

Ozil, winner of the 2014 World Cup, was born in Gelsenkirchen but has strong Turkish roots.

The German Football Association (DFB) refuted allegations of Ozil racism on Monday, but the fiasco undermined the reputation of Germany's ruling body, crazy football.

A survey of 5,000 Germans by t-online.de showed that 49.7% think that Grindel should resign during the saga.

Ozil says he's leaving the fury caused by his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the eve of the World Cup, while Grindel has failed to back him amid criticism .

When Germany was eliminated from the World Cup in Russia after the playoff phase, Ozil was scapegoated by some experts in a group of senior players who failed to perform.

He was eliminated after losing 1-0 to Mexico, after defeating Sweden 2-1, but he was one of the few to have played badly in the 2-0 defeat against South Korea. exit of the first World Cup.

The Arsenal midfielder moves away after nine years as one of Loew's most reliable players.

The news that he had no warning is surprising because Arslan has entered into a cooperation agreement with Ozil's adviser, Erkut Sogut, who only warned the DFB that a release would be released Sunday.

After 23 goals and 40 badists in 92 appearances in Germany, Ozil's loss is a blow to Loew, who has deployed the Arsenal midfielder as his main playmaker.

Germany's first match after the debacle of the World Cup is against the new world champions, France, in the new League of Nations tournament on September 6 in Munich.

With Ozil gone, Loew will have to find his substitute with Julian Draxler, of Paris Saint Germain, or Marco Reus, the favorite of Borussia Dortmund.

Leon Goretzka, 23, Lars Stindl, 29, and Thomas Mueller, 28, also played well for Germany in the attacking midfield.

"Mesut Abi (" brother "in Turkish), your technique on the ball opened the door to the national team for players like me," wrote Draxler on his Instagram account with a picture of him and Ozil.

"Thanks for all you have done for German football, you can be proud of your many achievements."

However, others see Ozil 's retirement as no big loss for Germany.

"He has not achieved any performances that can help the national team in the last 18 months to two years, nor to the World Cup during his two outings," Sky Sports said. ex-German captain Lothar Matthaeus.

"Now there is a chance for a younger player, perhaps even better" to come to Germany, added Matthaeus.

Erdogan for his part announced on Tuesday that he had contacted Ozil to praise his "patriotic" decision in withdrawing from the national team.

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