Oezil departure
Midfielder quits playing for Germany citing racism and disrespect
BERLIN: Mesut Oezil’s decision to quit playing for Germany unleashed a racism storm in the country yesterday, but earned the applause of Ankara with a Turkish minister hailing “a goal against the virus of fascism”.
After months of silence over a controversial photograph with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in May, which sparked questions about his loyalty to Germany, Oezil erupted on Sunday.
The Arsenal midfielder posted a stinging four-page statement taking aim at German Football Association (DFB) bosses, sponsors and the media.
Oezil, a key member of the squad which won the 2014 World Cup, blamed the DFB management, in particular its president Reinhard Grindel, for failing to side with him against his critics.
“In the eyes of Grindel and his supporters, I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose,” Oezil wrote.
The 29-year-old said he was true to both his Turkish and German origins and insisted he did not intend to make a political statement by appearing with Erdogan just before the World Cup finals.
“I have two hearts, one German and one Turkish,” said Oezil, who has been repeatedly singled out for criticism after Germany’s woeful performance at the World Cup saw them crash out after the group stages.
Oezil’s explosive statement, in three separate postings on Twitter and Instagram, was hailed by the Turkish government of Erdogan, who has championed a campaign against what Ankara sees as growing Islamophobia in Europe.
“I congratulate Mesut Oezil who by leaving the national team has scored the most beautiful goal against the virus of fascism,” Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul wrote on Twitter.
But it was met with a mix of dismay and outrage in Germany.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel “respects” Oezil’s decision, her spokeswoman said.
“The chancellor values Mesut Oezil highly. He is a footballer who has contributed a great deal to the national team,” said Ulrike Demmer, adding that he has “now made a decision that must be respected.”
The DFB rejected claims of racism made by the player.
“We reject the notion that the DFB is associated with racism,” read a statement.
“The DFB stands for diversity, from the representatives at the top to the boundless, day-to-day dedication of people at the base.”
German Justice Minister Katarina Barley wrote on Twitter that it was an “alarm sign if a great, German footballer like Mesut Ozil no longer feels wanted in his country or represented by the DFB.”
Cem Ozdemir of the Greens party also voiced dismay that “young German-Turks now get the impression that they have no place in the German national team”.
At the same time, Ozdemir, who himself has Turkish roots, voiced disappointment that Oezil “did not live up to his function of setting examples” by failing to distance himself from Erdogan.
Germany’s country’s best-selling newspaper Bild led the charge of criticism against Oezil, calling his statement a “whiny resignation” and slamming him for heaping “criticism on everyone but himself”.
Bild, which has for weeks has been calling for Oezil to be dropped from the starting team, also hit back against the midfielder’s claims that his Turkish origin and Erdogan photo have been used by some media to pander to the far-right.
“Oezil’s world view here is dangerously close to Erdogan and his despots,” charged the tabloid-style daily.
The photo, which was published on the presidential website and the Twitter feed of the ruling party, came just before the June 24 polls Erdogan won to claim sweeping new powers.
For Tagesspiegel, the entire affair was a “watershed for sports, politics and society.”
While the newspaper noted that Oezil’s thinking that a photograph could be non-political was “naive”, it said that the debacle had far reaching consequences.
“Ultimately, Oezil did not fall because of Grindel but because of a heated, populist mood in Germany,” it said. “The danger exists because many who also have family roots in other countries or culture, can understand Oezil’s mood. And this needs to be countered quickly and decisively.