Police arrest two men outside Ozil’s house
One of the security threats that caused Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac to withdraw from Arsenal’s opening Premier League game of the season involved the arrest of two men outside Ozil’s home, it can be revealed.
Two men were seized by police on Thursday night following an altercation with security staff who have been stationed outside Ozil’s north London home in the wake of an attempted carjacking last month.
Ferhat Ercan and Salaman Ekinci, both 27, were charged under section 4a of the Public Order Act on Friday and are due to appear at Highbury Corner magistrates’ court next month.
The incident was one of at least two threats to Ozil and Kolasinac in recent days as they have been targeted following the attack by two men armed with knives last month.
Arsenal said on Friday that both players had been pulled out of the squad to face Newcastle United today due to “further security incidents”, adding that Ozil and Kolasinac were safe and unharmed but that the club’s top priority was the welfare of their players and their families.
Footage of the attempted carjacking from a month ago showed Kolasinac leaping out of Ozil’s car in north London and confronting the two assailants, who were brandishing knives, before both players were able to flee to a nearby Turkish restaurant.
The threat to Ozil and Kolasinac’s safety comes at a time when Premier League stars are increasingly being forced to spend thousands of pounds on private security measures.
Protection dogs, panic rooms and manned security patrols are becoming increasingly sought-after methods of protection by players, The Sunday Telegraph understands.
Richard Osborn, the co-founder of Chaperone K9, a company which provides specially trained protection dogs, said footballers were regularly targeted because their whereabouts are so public.
“Security is paramount to these guys and they are targeted on a regular basis,” Osborn told The Telegraph. “Because of that they look at different types of security measures. Purchasing a dog is one of those measures that someone can take to make sure they are safe and secure.
“When they are away, either on international duty or playing away from home, their family is normally left at home on their own and they want that added security. It makes the family feel safe and it makes the footballer feel more relaxed.
“Criminals know where footballers are based, they know what areas in cities they live. Unfortunately there is a risk. It is becoming more and more prevalent.”
Osborn said that footballers made up about 80 per cent of the company’s client base, with the specially trained dogs costing from £30,000.
“We are getting more and more younger footballers now,” he said. “It used to be the ones in the middle of their career or coming towards the end who had more time and thought it would be nice to have a dog around the house,” Osborn said. “Because there is that knowledge that they are a target, younger footballers are speaking to us.”