German midfielder Mesut Özil broke silence Sunday and posted a statement via Twitter regarding his meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan. The Arsenal player said that his connection with the Turkish leader is about football, not politics. The controversy struck in May when both Özil and national team teammate İlkay Gündoğan met with Erdoğan in London, posing for pictures. Both players are of Turkish descent but born in Gelsenkirchen. Özil made it clear that the bond between himself and the Turkish leader is about the game and recognizing the leader of his heritage. “My job is a football player and not a politician, and our meeting was not an endorsement of any policies,” Özil said. “In fact, we spoke about the same topic we do every time we have met — football — as he too was a player in his youth.” 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 Özil also said that Erdoğan as an individual was not the motive, but “respecting the highest office of my family’s country.” Both Özil and Gündoğan took on an added pressure during the World Cup — every mistake was seen under a microscopic lens of disdain and displeasure from some of Germany’s fans. Both players were jeered even prior to the tournament during Germany’s training camp and friendly matches against Austria and Saudi Arabia. It seemed to get under Özil’s skin when the German no. 10 got into a scuffle with angry fans in Germany’s final match in Russia. Özil added in a second tweet that he felt his dual-heritage has become the scapegoat for his and his team’s performance. Özil blasts German media and DFB for its double-standard A lot of people talk about my performances— many applaud and many criticise. If a newspaper or pundit finds fault in a game I play in, then I accept this— I’m not a perfect footballer and this often motivates me to work and train harder. But what I can’t accept are Germany media outlets reportedly blaming my dual-heritage and a simple picture for a bad World Cup on behalf of an entire squad. Off the pitch, Özil blames the German media for their poor choice of reporting, saying that his partnership with companies like BigShoe go unnoticed. They rise above the nonsense created by the German press and media, we carry out our projects in a professional manner thar I really enjoy being a part of. During the World Cup, I worked with BigShoe and helped get 23 young children life-changing surgeries in Russia, which I have also done in Brazil and Africa. With German media causing most of the trouble, German football’s governing body Deutscher Fussball-Bund must take some blame as well. Specifically, DFB President and former politician Reinhard Grindel. The president said that Özil “made a mistake.” However, Özil is not the first to controversially meet with a world leader. Just ask Lothar Matthäus. Matthäus, a former Germany captain and two-time Bayern Munich midfielder, met with Russian leader Vladimir Putin recently, but German media did not cover the encounter to the extent they did with Özil. This displeased Mesut: What I also find disappointing are the double standards that the media has. Lothar Matthäus (an honorary German national team captain met with another world leader a few days back, and received almost no media criticism. Despite his role with the DFB, they have not asked him to publicly explain his actions and he continues to represent the players of Germany without any reprimand. A third part of Özil’s comprehensive statement has yet to be released. Some journalists — such as Tobias Altschäffl — are already speculating that Özil may announce his resignation from the German national team. Özil posted his response at the end of his holiday and is included in Arsenal’s summer tour squad. The Gunners will set up shop in Singapore where they will play Atletico Madrid Thursday to start the International Champions Cup. At 29-years-old, Özil’s time as a crucial starter for Die Mannschaft may have passed but his involvement with the national team and as a cornerstone for Arsenal FC mustn't be written off.<doc-sep>Turkey president Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the "unacceptable" treatment of Mesut Ozil by the Germany football federation on Tuesday. Ozil, 29, withdrew from international football on Sunday, saying that "racism and disrespect" over his Turkish heritage directed towards himself and his family were major factors behind his decision. The Arsenal playmaker felt he was made a scapegoat for Germany's poor showing at the World Cup in Russia after a meeting with Erdogan in London. "Such racist treatment towards a young man who has given his all to the German national team for his religious beliefs is unacceptable," Erdogan told reporters in parliament. "Furthermore, how do you explain being unable to tolerate Mesut, Ilkay [Gundogan] and Cenk Tosun taking a photograph in London out of respect of their Turkish roots? "There are some that could not stomach this, but there are established, responsible politicians who are standing with Mesut." A picture of Mesut Ozil and Turkey president Recep Tayyip Erdogan is erected in Ozil's hometown of Devrek. Photo by Gokhan Yilmaz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Ozil, Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan and Everton striker Cenk Tosun met Erdogan during the Turkish president's three-day trip to England in May. All three players, born in Germany of Turkish descent, presented Erdogan with a shirt from their respective club and took a photo with him. The photograph sparked months of controversy in the lead-up to the World Cup, both because of Erdogan's autocratic policies and because Ozil and Gundogan were set to represent Germany. Most of the criticism fell on Ozil after Gundogan released a statement explaining his part in the photo, but the Arsenal man stayed silent. The row has now spilled over to the Turkish town, Devrek, where Ozil's family originate from. Authorities in the town have removed a street sign on "Mesut Ozil Avenue' of the playmaker wearing a Germany national team jersey. The photograph that initially sparked the controversy featuring Ozil and Erdogan has been erected in its place. Also on Tuesday, the Turkish Football Federation released a statement supporting Ozil. "The TFF offers its full support to Mesut Ozil and his family and we condemn the treatment, threats and derogatory messages that he has received because of his heritage and background. Every player, no matter whether they are in the public eye or not, has a right to be protected from abuse, discrimination and messages expressing hate. "All members of the global football community must be united in our continued efforts to drive out racism and intolerance -- and we must work together to ensure football can realise its potential to achieve positive social impact that promotes the values of inclusivity and respect."<doc-sep>A dramatic announcement from one of Germany’s biggest football stars that he was quitting the national team after being treated with “racism and disrespect” set off political uproar in the country on Monday. Mesut Özil, who has played for Arsenal since 2013, was condemned by politicians from across the German political spectrum who accused him of betraying the country’s democratic values with his apparent public support for Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Mr Özil, whose grandparents immigrated to Germany from Turkey, announced his immediate retirement from international football on Sunday night in a series of emotional tweets in which he claimed “If we win, I’m German. If we lose, I’m an immigrant”. His claims were dismissed by Heiko Maas, the German foreign minister, who said: “I don’t see what the case of a multi-millionaire living and working in England tells you about integration in Germany”. And Germany’s most prominent politician of Turkish heritage accused Mr Özil of letting down the immigrant community by posing for an election campaign photograph with President Erdogan.<doc-sep>
Uncredited/Associated Press Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil says he will no longer play for Germany after criticism for meeting with controversial Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and for his performances at the 2018 World Cup. Ozil confirmed the decision in a lengthy statement on his Twitter account where he hit out at DFB President Reinhard Grindel, saying he would "no longer stand for being a scapegoat for his incompetence and inability to do his job properly." Ozil said that in the "eyes of Grindel and his supporters, I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose." The statement added that the treatment has made him "no longer want to wear the German national team shirt" and that he will not play for the team while having "this feeling of racism and disrespect." Ozil's announcement came after he had responded to criticism from supporters for the meeting with Erdogan. The Arsenal man explained why he took the meeting and said there was no political motive involved: Ozil, Ilkay Gundogan and Cenk Tosun all met with the Turkey president in London and handed over signed shirts as a gift, per Goal's Chris Wheatley: Video Play Button Videos you might like Grindel criticised the players for their actions and said they had been exploited, per DFB.de. "The DFB of course respects the special situation for our players with migrant backgrounds, but football and the DFB stands for values that Mr. Erdogan does not sufficiently respect. Therefore, it is not a good thing that our internationals have let themselves be exploited for his election campaign stunt. It certainly hasn't helped the DFB's integration efforts." Erdogan's visit to the United Kingdom brought criticism from human rights campaigners and opposition politicians, according to the Guardian's Patrick Wintour. The 64-year-old went on to win the presidential election after securing outright victory in the first round of polling in June 2018. He secured 53 per cent of the vote to win a new five-year term, per BBC News. Ozil and Gundogan are both Germany internationals with Turkish heritage. Germany general manager Oliver Bierhoff said Die Mannschaft should have considered leaving Ozil out of their World Cup squad, per Welt (h/t Goal's Ronan Murphy). "We never forced any player of the national team to do something, but we always tried to convince them. We haven't succeeded with Mesut. That's why we should have thought about leaving him out from a sporting point of view. "I think the fact that Mesut and Ilkay took these pictures did not keep the team busy. But the debate afterwards did. Looking back now, I would try to be clearer regarding this topic." Germany endured a disappointing World Cup, failing to make it out of the group stages. Ozil will now return to action with Arsenal and has been named in the club's squad for their pre-season tour of Singapore. They will play friendlies against Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain as part of the 2018 International Champions Cup.