Mesut Ozil has announced that he will no longer play for the German national side following what he believes is racist treatment from the DFB and their president Reinhard Grindel in particular.
Over the course of today, the Arsenal playmaker has released a number of statements via his Twitter account to address a number of issues, including the picture taken with Turkish president Recep Erdogan which caused controversy in Germany.
It looked as if he was building towards this conclusion, and the final part of his third statement reads:
To you, Reinhard Grindel, I am disappointed but not surprised by your actions. In 2004 whilst you were a German member of Parliament, you claimed that “multiculturalism is in reality a myth [and] a lifelong lie”whilst you voted against legislation for dual-nationalities and punishments for bribery, as well as saying that Islamic culture has become too ingrained in many German cities. This is unforgivable and unforgettable.
The treatment I have received from the DFB and many others makes me no longer want to wear the German national team shirt. I feel unwanted and think that what I have achieved since my international debut in 2009 has been forgotten.
People with racially discriminative backgrounds should not be allowed to work in the largest football federation in the world that has many players from dual-heritage families. Attitudes like theirs simply do not reflect the players they supposedly represent.
It is with a heavy heart and after much consideration that because of recent events, I will no longer be playing for Germany at international level whilst I have this feeling of racism and disrespect. I used to wear the German shirt with such pride and excitement, but now I don’t.
This decision has been extremely difficult to make because I have always given everything for my teammates, the coaching staff and the good people of Germany. But when high-ranking DFB officials treat me as they did, disrespect my Turkish roots and selfishly turn me into political propaganda, then enough is enough.
That is not why I play football, and I will not sit back and do nothing about it. Racism should never, ever be accepted.
Mesut Ozil
The three statements can be found in full below:
The past couple of weeks have given me time to reflect, and time to think over the events of the last few months. Consequently, I want to share my thoughts and feelings about what has happened. pic.twitter.com/WpWrlHxx74
— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) July 22, 2018
II / III pic.twitter.com/Jwqv76jkmd
— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) July 22, 2018
III / III pic.twitter.com/c8aTzYOhWU
— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) July 22, 2018
His statements require and deserve proper consideration. It’s well worth reading them and clearly he feels very strongly about this.
Mesut Ozil, World Cup winner 2014, feels he can longer represent the country of his birth.
I stand with ozil…you don’t have to…I do
Im not German and not Turkish. I have utmost respect for everything Ozil stands for. The charity work he does is unbelievable yet never ever gets covered. He’s always been treated as a scapegoat and I’m proud of him for having the character and personality to stand up for himself.
I just really hope he’s hungry and eager to prove himself and not sulking after this. As arsenal fans we need to stop getting on his back and supporting him because he is a special player and a special person.
lots of people do charity work, ozil needs to man up, as he sulks to much
At least he can spell words properly and write proper sentences.
In his third language too.
Listen “afan”: we know you are a troll who just wants to stir things up, but this is not an issue in which you should participate. Keep out of things that matter in the real world and confine your attempts to divide people and make them angry to less important subjects.
I’m greedy, I’m just happy for his Arsenal career!!!!
— a neutral Irish-Canadian.
But seriously, in Canada absolutely no one says they are just Canadian. We are always Irish-Canadian, Indian-Canadian, etc. I totally understand Ozil’s position on this and felt pride reading his words about, most of all, equality.
DB_10 I’m in the US where a cockstain is currently in charge. I couldn’t agree with you more
Please don’t disrespect cockstains like that.
Had he taken a picture with Trump it would not have been a problem with the media. Ozil made the good point in his statement about Lothar Matthaus meeting Putin. Really can you name one president with a good human rights record? This is not to absolve Ozil. Erdogan is no saint. But as blogs made the point, he might not have had much of a choice. You don’t want to piss off a dictator with half your family there. Also, Saleh met Kadyrov during the world cup. It was a good example of Saleh not really having much of… Read more »
Yes he made a good point with Lothar Matthäus meeting putin. But your point of “Really can name one president with a godd human rights record?” is definatly not! I think for a lot of peiople mesut is the scpaegioat and this is fucking unfair, but has nothing to do with whtav he did. Can refused! Why can’t Ilkay and Mesut do the same???
I was born and brought up in London. My parents come from Bangladesh. I’ve been a closet England fan because as a 10 year old child, I was told that I had no right to support England. In Bangladesh, I’m referred to as a foreigner. In my heart I am English and it’s sad that this country exposed me to the harshness of society. At the age of 10, I learnt the difference between nationality and ethnicity. Because I was a child supporting England! I’ve seen a lot of meme’s about the French saying they are French when they win… Read more »
Great, he has now more time for Arsenal. Give us those thropies!!
I still think he should have known (or should have been advised at the very least) not to make his meeting with Erdogan so public. Judging by the overall reaction in Germany to their meeting this was very clearly something which he ought to have known – or knew – would upset people.
That is notwithstanding the fact that the level of vitriol he has received has been completely uncalled for. I just don’t think he comes out of this situation without bearing any culpability.
Oh please. The whole world watched a world cup hosted by Putin’s Russia, and will unashamedly do so in another 4 years, and you’re trying to hold Ozil to account for a photo with Erdogan?
Culpability my ass. This is exactly the problem Ozil is highlighting.
This isn’t the problem Ozil is highlighting. Of the numerous points he does highlight, he makes a number of really good points. He has been the scapegoat of the German team, and he has suffered racism. But, as I mentioned before, I think he has to accept some degree of blame, even if it’s minuscule, for his actions. Erdogan has a torrid record as the leader of Turkey. To stand with him as he did, without expecting any reaction, would be foolish. I watched the World Cup, as I’m sure you did, and indeed most of the World. It’s a… Read more »
Perhaps with his family still living there he actually couldn’t handle it better.Erdogan’s a bad dude, and has put other sports figures and their families in bad positions before. He’ll silence journalists, you don’t think he’d aim his anger at public figures speaking ill of him?
Excellent comment, life is complicated. You need to swallow bitter pills to survive at times. Plus Ozil is a Turkish and turkish people give Erdogan more than 50% of the vote ouright. I hate this Erdogan figure but that is the reality.
You both have a good point there. If it wasn’t the internet u guys might come to an conclusion after 2-3 pints.
Germany is a democracy, getting a photo taken with an elected leader of another country should not be a big deal. It might be distateful for some but the way it has rumbled on and on suggests something else is driving the agenda.
I read BLogs daily this morning and remembered how powerful journalism can be. the pen is mightier than the sword. Reason mightier than prejudice.
Well done Blogs a beautiful piece of writing.
?
I stand with Ozil against racism. That doesn’t mean I stand with Ozil alongside Erdogan, a man who has stoked racism in his own country: https://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/247381/in-erdogans-post-coup-turkey-anti-semitism-is-on-the-rise Any racism towards Ozil must be condemned but a photo-op with a fairly brutal leader (who calls Germans Nazis when they won’t let him freely hold rallies in Germany while oppressing domestic opposition) is not something I can get behind, even if he plays for Arsenal. Some things are a lot more important than bloody football. And yes, all leaders are probably fairly grey morally but to equate the behaviour of someone like Erdogan… Read more »
Wow. Disappointed for him. This goes some way to answering some questions about the divisions in the German locker room in Russia. I hope this leads to a renewed sense of place and purpose at Arsenal.
He’s 29 atm. Should have a few good years in him and more time to rest in international breaks.
Looking forward to seeing him be a big(ger) player for us.
Hmmm…
https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/mesut-ozil-retires-quits-germany-arsenal-bayern-munich-hoeness-shit-for-years-racism-a8459536.html?utm_source=quora&utm_medium=referral
How many years was Ozil Germany’s player of the year?
I see this as more successful revelations of Ozil’s statement. Revealing these fucks for what they truly are. Intolerant bigots emboldened to reveal the fact they have only been hiding behind the facade of having ‘progressed’ with cultural tolerance.
And I’m not singling out Germany. It’s the whole fucking western world right now, and more. It’s shameful.
The Guardian pointed out that Hoeness must have based his comments on watching Ozil while he was in prison for tax evasion; he served real time, and was welcomed back to Bayern with hardly a murmur.
They should be thankful for a bloke who had given them World Cup in 2014
as I recall, he didn,t do anything in the final, the rest of the team carried him
@afag, you sound very childish, but that isn’t your biggest problem.
“afan,” I repeat what I said earlier: this is not a discussion you should be part of. You are a troll, and we are discussing racism. Shut up and go away.
ERRR I wont shut up, and this is a discussion I should be very much apart of, being born in Brixton, I know more about racism than most of you on here will ever know, and if a troll is someone who tells the truth, then fine, I know what im talking about, unlike some, ok
I am not objecting to your knowledge, or lack of it, about racism or anything else. I am objecting to your lack of good faith. You have no interest in advancing the discussion, you are intent on angering people for the sole purpose of angering them. This is annoying but tolerable when we are talking about something like Aaron Ramsey’s value as a football player. It crosses the line when you pretend to engage in this discussion.
Arsenal have always been a special club that’s kind of like a family. Opinions on Ozil have been divided and some often give him a lot of stick. I understand a lot of fans’ frustration during wengers tenure but we need to start supporting our players 100% of the time as long as they represent our club. Liverpool talk all this shit about “you’ll never walk alone” yet the treatment of Kaurius was disgraceful. He tried his best but wasn’t good enough, and unlike Suarez – who they supported unquestionably, Kaurius was never involved in any controversial incidents like being… Read more »
I’m not interested in defending Liverpool fans, but I don’t think this is the same at all. If you want a comparison, look at how a large section of the English press have treated Raheem Sterling (a player I have no special liking for).
Yes the divisions are clearly obvious.
In fact I just noticed that the DFB account on Instagram hardly had any pictures of Ozil or Gundogan during the world cup campaign. Ozil being one of their major stars, no wonder there was a feeling of being unwanted.
Well, their loss. More power to you Mesut.
Disgraceful how he has been treated by some and I for one am really impressed with how strongly he is hitting back.
It also goes some way to showing that he is someone who cares and has strength if character
*of*
Yeah, takes no prisoners. There’s real anger in that statement, something I thought he was incapable of.
Let’s hope the majority does it’s job of silencing most of the stupid criticism he gets when he’s wearing red.
he asked for it, and if cant handle it he should have kept quiet about it
Speaking out against racism and bigotry in no way EVER excuses more racist and bigoted attacks. Nothing excuses those behaviors.
He asked to be racially discriminated against and should keep quiet about it? This is what you’re saying, to be clear?
Time for all Arsenal fans to get behind him this coming season. What is Germany’s loss is Arsenal’s gain. We believe in you, Mesut. Lead us to glory this season!
Brave from Mesut to stand up and use his profile and influence to highlight this issue.
You’d think the least racist people in the 21st century would be the Germans, psychologically apologetic about the past.
When one of your best and most consistent players get hate you are supposed to support them, at the very least through fear of losing them.
Hopefully our gain I suppose!
Ive lived in Germany for over 10 years. Im British. Im subjected to racism almost every day. So no. Most of my german work mates wanted him gone out of the team.
Genuine question: what kind of racism do you experience in Germany?
By definition,Germans feeling they are superior to Brits (being a different race) – I would assume, but what do I know…
what the fuck kind of definition are you talking about? Nazi Germany’s? This isn’t Nazi Germany, hasn’t been since 1945. Stop trolling or get educated
Germans consider the english to be the same race as them. They unlike you aparently know where the saxons came from.
Has to be related to area – here in Köln, I never receive anything but goodwill from the people I meet, even go so far as to say I experience ‘positive racism’ if anything.
Do you really think only non-europeans can be subjected to racism? Go to Marseille.
Of course not. It’s why I asked the question
As a German living in Britain I would genuinely like to know that too.
I bet you have to put up with the reverse of the banter that i live with
Maybe not the racial racism, more like nationalistic prejudice or nepotism
I grew up in Germany and lived there for 15 years (but am from Mongolia). I haven’t been there since 2004. My experience is like this: the overwhelming majority of Germans are reasonable people. Some might be a bit weirded out by a foreigner, but they’re not hostile and will look at you as a human being in any case, treated with due respect. Then there are the more progressive minded who make a clear effort to be more welcoming. And then there are the bigots and racists, especially in the old Eastern Germany areas. In school, kids can sometimes… Read more »
If you were to replace every German with English in this post it would be pretty close to the truth here too. Depressing thought for a Monday morning!
Yeah. I suspect this state of affairs is pretty universal recently, at least in the West. The darkness of open racism, nationalism and close-mindedness is shown through Trump, Brexit, migrant and refugee hate and anxiety and so much more. I worry about the West, because I value those core principles of its free societies. Honestly, since moving back to Mongolia and witnessing (though not being the target) of people’s normalized, casual racism here I’m more certain than before that the liberal progressive mindset of the West is something to cherish and protect.
As as brit living in germany id say most of what i personally face daily would probably come under banter rather than racism. A simple example would be that if im at work and it rains people will tell me its english weather or that im regularly told all english food is awful. Ive faced more offensive stuff such as being called an insel affe (island ape). Mostly though germans find it interesting that im english/british and have questions. I do think though that my experience would be different if i had a different skin colour. I must add that… Read more »
I’ve lived in Germany and then visited regularly for work. I have an Indian face. I was most often met by interest rather than racism, though there were a few cases of latent prejudice appearing. Mostly, people were confused by the fact a born and bred Londoner spoke fluent German. They were also curious about my rather solid suntan, knowing they could never achieve that in a lifetime of sunbathing. The most hilarious thing I faced was a front of house security guy at a large multinational company I was teaching at looking for a visa in my passport. One… Read more »
I should add when they found out I’m from London and also Indian they were generally excited because most I met think both London and India are cool AF. Note I can say that I’m Indian without being unBritish. It basically means of Indian heritage. A lot like the Irish around where I live call themselves Irish whilst having the same accent as me. That’s what Mesut was on about. Slaaaags. I was once asked by a Peruvian guy if I could fix his daughter’s laptop on a train in Italy, because I look pretty Indian. I told him I… Read more »
My two-pence worth.
I live in Germany and am British, and Brits are usually very well regarded and respected here. Brexit has confused a lot of the locals here, but still!
Other nationalities, especially from less ‘white’ backgrounds, on the other hand… I have to say though, that of the many countries I’ve lived in Germany is a quite tolerant place.
There is a deeply divisive issue about dual-nationality here though, which differs from the UK and other places.
I’m not German but I have followed Mesut for years. The Germans don’t like him, yes, why? Because the media have been harassing him for years and years, always making him down. Even 4 years ago after the victory.
To be fair, he was voted “Germany Player of the Year” 5 times (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016), so a very big proportion of Germans do or did like him. The whole Erdogan story is complex and not many parties have come out looking too good.
Complex how? Does he not have a right to talk to whoever he wants?
I don’t see the complexity! You’re either free to do what you want or your not!
racism is everywhere, and always will be, it doesn,t matter where someone comes from, or who they are, it will always be here
While what afan said MIGHT seem to some/most, think it’ll be better if we all looked at this a tad deeper. Even if it’s just to give him/her the benefit of doubt. 🙂
That doesn’t make it all hunky-dory. It is never excusable no matter where or how frequently you find it.
I agree. But discarding our subjectivity here, I didn’t think he was making “racism” hunky-dory in THIS exchange. ✌
I support Mesut in this. Racism is still a problem in lot of football organizations. France won the WC but they had their own share of this problem. Their FA had a plan to limit the number of players from immigrant descent in the team and doing this by imposing a quota at the national academy in Clairefontaine. When it was revealed, Laurent Blanc didn’t even have to resign. He tried to hide this under the style of play as an issue of skillful players vs strong, fast and powerful blacks. The best skillful player they had at the time… Read more »
I am sure there is plenty of racism in France and in French football, but the explanation for the incident you are describing, if believed, was quite different: the concern was about using resources to train players who then played on other national teams for which they were eligible. I am not sure this actually happened very often (Chamakh, maybe?) but it could be a legitimate worry when so many young French players, including much of the current World Cup-winning squad, could have opted for another country.
Is that why Blanc said : We must do things based on our culture ? Also said : What we have now is physical and fast blacks ? To defend himself, he said he wanted to change the style of play. That tape should be somewhere on the internet. Every single dual citizenship players choose to play for France if they have enough quality for that so the argument used to defend themselves wasn’t even smart. On the other hand, France tried to get Higuain just because his father used to play in France and has french citizenship.
I am not defending Blanc, but pointing out that there was a non-racist explanation given; I think you are wrong that all eligible players who are good enough to be picked for France automatically choose that option–Drogba and Aubameyang are obvious examples.
You may still be right, but I am more confident that the current leadership of the French team, especially Deschamps, has acted in ways that caused players like Pogba and Mendy (neither one shy about expressing himself) to express their support.
Pogba’s brother plays for Guinea because he is far from being good for France. Auba’s father was once captain of the Gabon team so he decided to follow his daddy’s footsteps even though attracted by the french national team. Drogba was a bit of late bloomer, Henry, Trezeguet and Cissé were already there and he didn’t get selected. When it was evident he had the quality for the french squad, he was already playing for Ivory Coast.
I’m british living in Germany, I’ve experience no racism personally but I do see a lot of anti Turkish sentiment
At the time for Mesut’s grand-parents, Germany asked Turkish people to come to the country to work in mines. In Gelsenkirchen. They came, they built their lives and now they are rejected…
Yeah it’s clear how short sighted the politicians were. They only cared about the economic benefit of migrant workers
Yes, there’s a large amount of Turkish people in Germany. Integration hasn’t gone well in some places, where Turkish communities band together and you’d see entire streets with nothing but Turkish stores with Turkish writings. Then there’s the rare issue of some Turks ignoring German law, stuff like a brother beating up or killing his sister for sullying the family’s honor because she slept with a German, stuff like this. I feel that Turks in Germany feel unwelcome, they feel alienated and thus keep to themselves, which I understand, but it’s not helping. Many Turks still make a good life… Read more »
I don’t get the bit about ‘ignoring German laws’ we have newspapers saying the same in the UK about honour killings etc. But the truth is all criminals ignore the law so it makes absolutely no sense to say this.
It’s because with Honor killings etc it often IS legal in Sharia law, hence they claim they doing nothing wrong
Is/was turkey under sharia law? I always thought it was one of the more progressive islamic countries. I really have no clue. Just curious. I am from Malaysia, a real multicultural country that has an Islamic majority. Corruption is rampant here and we just overthrew the 60 year ruling party that has started to use religion and race to stir up fear in the muslim majority. The surprise election upset (no one thought the opposition could really win) has really saved the country from going down a dark road. Thus all this has really spiked my interest in issues like… Read more »
Honor killing is illegal under all interpretations of the shariah law.
It could be a cultural practice in certain parts of the world
Honour killings are not permitted under ANY interpretation of Sharia Law. Please don’t repeat this dangerous falsehood.
1)He can now focus on Arsenal.
2)No more fear of German clubs luring him away.
His next club will be Turkish, I believe he’s said that previously
they cant afford him, unless we sell him at rock bottom prices
Nice way to deflect your abject performance in the World Cup.
You could say that if the reaction to his performance was fair and proportionate to his performances. Guess the whole squad should retire then?
Since he’s literally the whole German team, innit? Asshole
That is the point he makes. If he played shit, call his performance shit. But do not a) ignore the other shit performances and single him out and do not b) link it to ethnicity or roots or religion or anything else. That is the point.
Perfectly summarised gooner1981 that is
One of the most stupid comments I ever read here.
Congrats!
*the most stupid
At least for me
Although there a number of comments by a complete arsewipe further up that are strong contenders too.
I tend to agree with Pat Rice & Beans and Vehcede, just highlighting another sulky little racist fuckwad’s “contribution, ejaculating his comments further up as well.
He was better than most of the German players. Muller, Draxler, Kimmich and almost everyone in German team played absolutely static football. With no movement in front of him, a player like h cannot create much even though he created most number of chances in group stage(I believe I’m right about this). I think Brandt, who played approximately around 50 tp 60 minutes was their best player.
You forget Hummels,the very worst player.
Yup, 87th minute against Korea, Ozil served in a beauty that should have been the winner. Instead, Hummels headed over the bar, Germany lost, and now they all say it’s Ozil’s fault. Ridiculous.
No , Humnels’ head was in the right place, Ozil just didn’t bounce the ball in correctly… or some other dumb shit, inane anti-Ozil comment.
I thought Kimmich was the worst. He’s a right back and when they conceded against Mexico it was Ozil in the box, covering his role.
He was like a schoolboy hunting for glory and playing for himself!
In terms of playing below their ability, my choice is Muller who was just awful–I honestly thought he might be ill. I have heard very little criticism of him but, of course, he is a “real” German,.
Not one player in the entire German squad can be picked to be better than him in the tournament. It jars me as a human being to see someone who does no wrong and genuinely care being treated like a goat. At every turn, he is disparaged, maligned but his numbers in all the leagues and national teams he has played in speak for themselves. In 92 games, he has 40 assists and 23 goals. He has bossed the leagues, in terms of creativity, he has played in. Highest assists in a World Cup, Europa league, Champions League etc. German… Read more »
Yeah exactly! I don;t understand this criticism of Ozil. He was supposed to serve them chances and serve them he did. If they didn’t finish whose problem is it then? Kimmich only required one defender to stand in front of him to hit all his crosses into and couldn’t get any decent crosses in, Hummels’ head was like a loose baloon on a windy day – absoultely uncontrollable and most others went missing. With proper finishers he would have a hattrick of assists, there were 3 beautiful crosses into the box that they headed over or out. Then there was… Read more »
The fact he was their most creative player showa what a nonsensical comment that is
He created 7 chances in the last game,the highest by any player in the WC yet he was castigated by the press.
It’s a disgrace. Hummels,Neur etc were appalling yet because Ozil has Turkish connections he is picked out. Smacks of racism.
In the 7 years we’ve had this site running, this is right up there in the top 5 stupidest comments of all time.
Yes Arseblog!
And that’s coming from blogs himself!! Congratulations mesut O’Neill (retard)
Should he be proud of embarrassed? Using his name as your pseudonym says it all. Well said Andrew.
Curious about the other four. Where is fatgooner?
Incisive and to the point there blogs. A bit like Mesut’s balls.
And yet not moderated and deleted. Go figure!
Head on a pike kind of thing, I imagine.
Why don’t you get your previous name Mesut Oh No back sir ?
I really hope that you and the few people who agree with you learn from this backlash and become better people in society.
Attention seeking comment. Shame
He succeeded though in getting the most votes….
Get rid of the downvoting button I say.
Are you a professional arsehole or just an extraordinarily gifted amateur?
well done Mesut, I think that’s a record
Really impressive series of statements from Ozil. From what he has put out, it looks very much like he was thrown under the bus. Not looking to get into arguments and rhetoric and anything else about what happened, but it takes courage to call people in power and media out on their bullshit.
Anyway, a big plus for Arsenal certainly. I would rather he retired from international duty on a high note, but as an Arsenal fan first and foremost it is great that our playmaker will get to rest and hopefully have a great season with the team. COYG
Killer touch..the first installment was almost 8 hours ago….not only quits the team but socks it to the sponsors who dropped him too with their faulty devices!
Mercedes I think
Think it was VW (who were fined for fabricating emissions tests). Not sure Mercedes had that issue.
Both; the VW revelations in the U.S. have prompted further investigation everywhere.
I stand with Özil! I totally feel his frustration. He’s always made the scapegoat even when statistics reflect otherwise!
It’s a disgraceful day for German football.
Racism should never be tolerated. We as Arsenal supporters stand with you, Mesut.
It has been a disgrace the way he has been treated by some. You don’t play around with a man’s credibility because of a single photo for your Political gain. Racism in football has to be a strict no.
Just for fun and some food for thought:
Jesus: Forgive the sinners.
His Disciples: But what if they are Muslims?
Jesus: Let me come back again.
Disclaimer: I have got nothing to do with Islam!
What?
That last bit just completely doesn’t make sense.At all.Are you making a joke about the second coming of Christ?Are you making a joke about Islam’s version of Jesus?I don’t get it.
It’s your call, Mesut. Wishing you all the best I’m life.
So glad he has done this. Shows real bravery to confront these wankers head on.
Good for you Mesut.
Put all your energies in becoming an Arsenal legend and we will love you for it.
And fuck all racists.
If the events and abuse are true, I absolutely stand by Ozil.
Believe me it is true. Sadly…
That took balls. I’m with Ozil on this one.
Seriously bold comments, Mesut. I’m 100% with you.
You have to take some responsibility and not be a political idiot who supports the president no matter what he does to destroy democracy.
Yes, Matthaus officially represented Germany close to Putin during the World Cup… You know, Vladimir, the democrat!
Matthaus, maradona, ronaldo, valderrama, wes brown all the legends were there
Vladimir the republican!
Could you please cite where he EVER stated he ‘Supports’ Erdogan or ANY of his principles or actions?
Disappointed to see there’s no criticisism of Özil because of his photo with Erdogan at all in the comments here. A lot of what he says is right (!), but then again, Erdogan is a dictator. You get that, right? I have respect for Emre Can, who decided against meeting Erdogan.
Are you thick or what! Özil as a dual citizen found it an honour to meet the President of his origin, which unfortunately happens to be Erdogan. Salah stayed with the Chechnya President who has been accused of worse, media all mute…
The criticism is ridiculous and deflecting and its speaks deeply about racism.
Yes, Matthaus officially represented Germany close to Putin during the World Cup… You know, Vladimir, the democrat!
Maybe because the Erdogan situation is misrepresented by Western media outlets…
Don’t believe everything you read in the news.
Propaganda still exists…
As ever there are shades of grey. The way he has been treated is appalling, and he is 100% correct to call out certain people in the German establishment for their views, views that sadly appear to be becoming more prevalent and more accepted by the day. Nevertheless he is not blameless. The caption on the original image, if I’m not mistaken, said something like ‘our president’. An unfortunate choice of words perhaps, but ones that understandably fueled a fire. Furthermore I can’t help but feel there is a slight double standard from Ozil. He rightly calls out German politicians… Read more »
He actually said “my president” in the caption. Very difficult not to see that as an endorsement of a very questionable politician, which is pretty uncomfortable. i agree with most of what he says and support his decision, but the old “I’m not a politician” excuse by people in the public eye (when they do something politically stupid) doesn’t help his cause either.
You should get yourself informed. He didn’t say that, Gundogan did.
I did wonder if that was the case, thanks for clarifying.
Well played, Mesut, for having the balls to call this out on such an open forum as Twitter. He and other people of Turkish descent have to deal with dog whistles on a regular basis. No one should have other people questioning their own national identity nor their motives in representing their country. This is a wonderfully strong move by him.
We as Arsenal fans ..stand with u Ozil
Looking forward to giving Mesut 100% vocal support in our first home game. COYG!
This all started with the English media, “pundits” like Keown, “fans” like Arsenal “fan” TV, all ripping him to shreds with impunity. It was easy for the German media to jump on the bandwagon. The photo wasn’t ever posted by Mesut, it was Gundogan, and anyway it’s his private life and nobody’s business. This whole situation makes me incredibly sad, that he has effectively been driven out of his national team, that he truly cares so much about, and he and his family have been abused and insulted. It’s too easy to point fingers at Germany, when the same thing… Read more »
While I do not support the undeserved criticism he gets from the English pundits, it is not based on racism, it’s performance based. That may be unfair but it has football related reasons, however weak they may be.
Whereas the criticism for the German team is coming from a racist and ethnic standpoint which is absolutely disgusting and disgraceful.
Huge difference between both. Hope you can see that.
I don’t think the undeserved criticism is totally performance based at all. I think they don’t like him because he’s German, because he’s a Muslim and because he earns a lot of money, because he’s more successful than any of them. It’s not overt, but hate grows and spreads. Some of these ” pundits” are actually almost frothing at the mouth when they discuss him,, that’s not normal.
I don’t think it’s that. Salah is Muslim and he was hugely praised.
I think it’s more the really deeply ingrained ethos in British football of ‘guts’ and ‘work rate’ being valued more than skill and finesse.
Others have discussed this better than me, but – at the risk of getting philosophical – I also think it’s to do with society’s obsession with extroverts who tear off their shirt and king fu kick the corner flag (in the footballing context) rather than someone as thoughtful and introverted as our Mesut, who goes about his business quietly.
I don’t think it is nationality or even religion of why Ozil has been subject to criticism by the English press (I find it hard to imagine anyone caring about him being German). I think it is more about his expense and importance to Arsenal when he was signed and his immediate performances not reflecting that. I remember the same press-hounding of Robinho during his season at Man City as he too failed to live upto expectations in a team that was so reliant on him.
Arsenal fans criticized Ozil when he performed poorly. DFB criticized Ozil in a non-football related issues. We were right in criticizing Ozil; DFB rather took him as a scapegoat. Therein lies the difference mate.
That clip of Keown tearing into Ozil for not being like Keown while Jenas, a fucking Spud of all things, defends him by highlighting what type of player he is (not anything like Keown) and what his style of play actually offers with Keown harping on about tacking, runnin arahnd and being more of a man is a cringe moment.
Yeah I agree with him wholeheartedly, even though I believe the photo with Erdogan was I’ll advised knowing how modern media tends to twist things to create a story or push an agenda. I actually think the played really well in the World Cup every time I watched him. Created 7 chances in the match against South Korea, not his fault they didn’t have a striker. Let’s hope he finds renewed vigour in the revamped Arsenal. If we are to do well next season he will be possibly our most important player. #COYG
I applaud Ozil’s stand. Racial discrimination should not be tolerated. ?
He has the right ro refuse to play for his country, but this is childish. Imo.
Of course he was not responsible for his teams poor performance.
Telling that he finds it easier to saying no to playing for his country than standing up to a dictator’s photo op.
A) You don’t give your best in a hostile environment. DFB is more like a poison to Ozil’s football.
B) Last time I checked, taking pictures with a dictator has nothing to do with ‘Tightness of defence’, ‘Fluidity of the Midfield’, and ‘Precision and lethality of strikers’
C) I wonder who now is the dictator, DFB or Erdogan.
Spot on…
D) Erdogan was elected with 53% of the votes. cant just be calling people dictators
Yes, Matthaus officially represented Germany close to Putin during the World Cup… You know, Vladimir, the democrat!
Ur country don’t even know u, so It’s pretty easy for u to say all fuck shyt innit…
We’ve got Ozil, Mesut Ozil !
I just don’t think you understand !
He’s a brave and honest man,
He’s better than most Germans (especially that racist dickhead Grindel)
We’ve got Mesut Ozil !
I respect his decision. Shame on the people he shames. Even more important now for his club team to be a source of inspiration and “home” for him. I think him meeting with Erdogan was a huge mistake because Erdogan is basically a dictator in the process of destroying the kind of open society Özil supposedly cherishes. He tries to claim what he does isn’t political, but that’s either dumb or naïve. Everything a guy of his renown does is political. Somehow I think a man who speaks three languages and plays a difficult game brilliantly isn’t dumb, so I’ll… Read more »
A huge topic, this. But nonwithstanding what Özil writes, he let himself be used as a pawn in Erdogan’s election campaign. Özil probably won voters for the man that has put tens of thousands of Turks in prison with very weak if any evidence of “treason” and who works tirelessly to abandon freedom and democracy in Turkey.
Yes, Matthaus officially represented Germany close to Putin during the World Cup… You know, Vladimir, the democrat!
I’m starting to believe you’re a bot. Or a paid troll. Or both.
Alex, whoever you are, change your tune or fuck off!
Good for you Mesut
“When you win you are German when you lose you are an immigrant”.
The highlight of the his message.
Great response! Going out with a bang!
Trevor Noah with The Daily Show said something in the same ilk, regarding his joke about France players being predominantly immigrant decent, which was criticized by US France ambassador.
As Sir Andy Murray used to say: “When you win you’re a Brit, but when you lose you’re a Scot!”
He has been getting the same treatment Sterling does for England and it’s disgraceful. People can be critical without it being personal. I haven’t seen a lot of criticism for Kroos and I think he is past his best and was at fault for more than one goal. He isn’t even a key player at Real Madrid anymore.
Sterlinh didn’t pose with a dictator, though. How can you all overlook this?
Because German DFB and media seems to have overlooked it about Matthaus posing with Putin, who even if he didn’t write the book, at least has a few chapters in it guiding Erdogan’s foul practices. What’s the difference here?
While I think the media hounding of Sterling is disgraceful at least he, unlike Ozil, truly was awful for his country during this world cup.
Bravo Mesut!
To expand on this a little: I was disappointed when I saw the two of them posing with Erdogan – as he is a vile bastard who seemed to be seizing the moment to improve his deservedly tarnished image. I realize they are footballers and simply saw this as a gesture of respect to their other homelands but I wish someone had a word before hand and explained the possible ramifications. That said, the response in Germany – especially in relation Özil’s performance – has been ridiculously discriminatory (not too mention, flying in the face of facts: he was one… Read more »
Yeah this whole episode says a LOT more about Germany than about Ozil.
This is incredibly brave of Ozil and I hope this causes people to stop and think. He’s shown a lot of strength in putting together this statement, which is clearly well considered. Sadly racism goes on everywhere and a lot of people who are the perpetrators do not even realise it, whilst others are unashamedly stupid. You can think what you will of Erdogan but Ozil had every right to show respect for his heritage. Germany’s loss, in the end, will be our gain. It’s just pitiful he had to retire from international football this way instead of for footballing… Read more »
Strength and power to my man mesut ✊
No early season interruption with internationals for him ??
I really appreciate his candor and him not holding back. The French winning the World cup is also a brilliant statement against the hateful far-right propaganda. You’ll always be seen as one of our own, Mesut.
Good on you Mesut. I wish you could play for Canada. We strongly believe in multiculturalism, and My God, could we use a player like you.
Show them what they are missing when you help us win more silverware
Accusing Özil as being the reason why Germany failed at the World Cup and the abuse he received because of his Turkish heritage is unforgivable,.
It will be no relief to Mesut but this decision is a bonus for us, The Arsenal, means he will be fresh and rested for us through the season.
As a Gooner and a humanitarian I support him with his decision. Good luck sir.
Full respect for this man.
Fuck em all Mesut, your appreciated at Arsenal
I feel we are at a crossroads as a civilization. Not being racist is now becoming the norm rather than a position that gives you the “moral high ground”. It is during such times that true beliefs of people surface. It is the same in the USA, France and Germany but this is just the tip of the iceberg I suppose. The majority who were, are and will remain “non-racists” are needed more than ever during this croosroads. As for Ozil, I salute his courage and sensibilities in writing so eloquently what many have been thinking. Here’s to us.
Do you think there’s any chance he’d ever play for Turkey national team? Would he be allowed too? Much rather he just plays for us but would be one hell of a game between Turkey & Germany if that happened 🙂
#M10 Respect !!!
This affair tells you everything you need to know about Ozil’s character. What he should do is stick two fingers up to the racists and play his socks off the next time he puts on a Germany shirt. There would be no better way to demonstrate that he loves his country and to shut up the bigots. This is exactly what English players like John Barnes and the late great Cyril Regis did back in the Eighties, when the abuse was far worse. By walking away he has demonstrated just how spineless and gutless he is. But, of course, we… Read more »
Im an older fan and I despise you. Wait, no I don’t, since I don’t know you. Will just assume you’re a judgemental prick based on your previous blinkered comments on Ozil, and giddy as a schoolgirl to now use this story to spew more BS when you got the chance. Keep up the good work.
You know what I despise? It’s fans who suck up to players who don’t give a damn about the club. Ozil was “injured” for the last three games of the season (and many matches since Christmas) and then suddenly declared himself fully fit for the World Cup. He’s a selfish, lazy pampered piss-taker who took the club for a ride and then ended up with a massive pay increase. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s gone by the end of this season: Emery won’t indulge him the way Wenger did. The German fans were as sick of his uncaring attitude… Read more »
“No, that doesn’t justify racist abuse, but Ozil has brought much of this opprobrium upon himself with his pathetic performances.”
So Oil brought the racism on himself because of his “pathetic performances”?
Now I have heard it all. You’re a fool. Plain and simple.
I think you love a version of Arsenal, and of football, that does not exist and probably never did in your lifetime–where players were just like regular working people, where toughness was more important than skill, where men like Martin Keown–not Dennis Bergkamp–were the heroes.
Fats, with respect, you have too much hate inside you. First Wenger now Ozil. Who is next? Just love Arsenal mate, you might enjoy it?
Fatgooner, the only thing about you that’s bigger than your belly is your ignorance.
Here we go again with this Agesim, “When Men were Men” nonsense. No doubt Ozil has been indulged at Arsenal for the last few years but this “Spineless” and “Gutless” toxic masculinity nonsense has got to stop.
I suspect the fact that he’s everything fans like you despise (i.e. he doesn’t look like he’s running hard) goes a long way towards explaining why the FA has spent the last three decades wallowing in abject failure and why no major club in the world currently employs an English manager. Ozil may not be a perfect player, but he instinctively understands the game in a way “older fans” of your ilk will never be able to understand or appreciate.
Özil has two feet firmly rooted in reality
We remember the ones who speak out and change things more than the ones who grind away because unfortunately it is hard to change such attitudes. There were many people who felt the same as Mandela but only a few spoke out loudly (and then suffered for it) and we know all their names now. This is a big issue and not a personal one for Mesut alone – it is one that does and will affect many immigrant kids who want to wear their National team shirt all over Europe. When you realise that, you’ll understand just how the… Read more »
Well put DB. A point further exemplified by the Bild dismissing this as self pity and whining. Also nothing from the DFB and his German teammates so far. Not a word. Oh the ignorance.
Literally was scrolling down to see if Fatgooner wrote anything controversial for this one as well….
It’s not OK to tell people how they have to react to suffering racist abuse.
Especially where the abuse is coming from someone who is essentially his boss (in the national team context) – it’s very understandable he doesn’t want to work for the DFB in these circumstances.
@fatgooner
“(The) picture…wasn’t about politics or elections, it was about me respecting the highest office of my family’s country.”
That’s a concept that’s too difficult for most people in today’s world to understand, unfortunately.
the dirty ***’s could end his career for this, years ago an upcoming liverpool player mentioned something controversial about 9/11…that was the end of his career!
Disclaimer: I am German. I have lived in the UK for 25 years and would never claim that I have the finger on the pulse of German society and current affairs. But I do still occasionally read German new channels, sports papers etc. The whole Erdogan affair has been both an eye-opener and a complete disaster for German football, politics, integration etc etc. It has gone way beyond individuals, the national team or the World Cup. There are so many facets to the situation that a short comment here isn’t going to do justice to what has been going on.… Read more »
Before going on such a rant on Ozil, you should get yourself educated on the matter. Ozil did NOT say “my president” to Erdogan. In fact, he made no comments at all. What you’re talking about is something Gundogan wrote on his shirt that he presented to Erdogan. THAT was an endorsement.
You would think you would at least get this correct before slandering your own player, but no. Why do simple research before rushing to judgement.
What’s most amazing is Gundogan appears to have come out of this, without a stain. Ozil has received all the criticism.
That isn’t quite true. He was booed just as strongly as Özil when they played in one of the last friendlies before the WC. As I tried to point out in my post, the fact that Özil did not address the situation publicly for 2 over months didn’t do him any favours. Gündogan did release a statement which probably got him a bit more goodwill in the media.
You’re right and I apologise for getting that wrong. But he has met Erdogan many times over the years and to say that posing for cameras with a big smile is not an endorsement on any level is a bit disingenuous.
By the way, I did not “slander” him or rushed to judgement just on whatever he wrote on a shirt. I voiced my opinion on his actions and gave context as to what at least parts of the German media think about this.
Ozil’s stance that he’d take another photo with Erdogan is pretty clear. He doesn’t look at it as a “mistake”. His reasoning is that he respects the highest office of his parent’s home country. I don’t like Erdogan one bit, but I’m prepared to accept his reasoning. As a foreigner who grew up in Germany not that much unlike Ozil, I can empathize with this internal divide. You feel like a German, but are never ever accepted 100% as one of them even though you speak just as fluently, learn the same things in school, watch the same media etc.… Read more »
I have seen this on another online forum (non-football). A guy on there who is half German went to visit relatives in Germany and was astounded that the guy in the Chinese takeaway could speak perfect, fluent German as an ethnic Chinese person!
Suffice to say, I ripped into him completely but he still didn’t understand why his statement was so backwards in attitude.
Thank you for that interesting and balanced insight. I really appreciate it and I agree with most of what you say, especially about the racism and abuse he faces (from people of both countries) and about the problem with your “roots”. As an immigrant to this country, I can empathise with that issue to a certain extent. But I ask myself this: if I was a public figure, the AfD came to be in government in Germany, I was invited to a promotional/campaigning event with their leader touring the UK, what would I do? And the answer is that I… Read more »
Calling out the timing of the statement is irrelevant, it’s just a way of ignoring the main thrust of his argument and making an attack on his character to try and discredit him.
You could have read my comment and saved yourself the bother, mate. But good to have a German perspective.
good for arsenal then
Explore the chances of playing for England Mezut,you will be loved and England need a proper ball comfortable playmaker like you…You’ll be loved