Oezil’s father feels he should quit team
BERLIN: Mesut Oezil’s father said Sunday his son should quit Germany’s national squad after he was “made the scapegoat” for Die Mannschaft’s shock first-round defeat at the World Cup.
“He has contributed a lot for this country. It has always been: if we win, we win together,” said the midfielder’s father Mustafa Oezil in an interview with Bild am Sonntag.
“But when we lose, we lose because of Oezil? He is now getting whistled at and made a scapegoat. I can understand if he feels insulted.”
Calling the treatment accorded to his son “so unfair”, Oezil senior said “he needs to decide for himself. “The hurt has grown too strong. And who knows what’ll happen at the next match. In Mesut’s place, I would step down. But that’s just my very personal opinion,” he said.
CROATIA’S VIDA AVOIDS BAN
MOSCOW: Croatia defender Domagoj Vida escaped a FIFA ban on Sunday after posting a clip dedicating his country’s victory over Russia in the World Cup quarterfinal to Ukraine.
Croatia will play England in the semi-final on Wednesday and some Russian officials had called on the football governing body to take tough disciplinary measures against the Balkan team. FIFA said it had studied the video and decided to issue a warning to Vida but will take no further action.