Erdogan: Oezil stance is patriotic
Turkish president can’t tolerate racist attitude
ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday he had spoken to Turkish-origin football star Mesut Oezil after his decision to quit the German national team on the grounds of racism, offering his praise for the Arsenal player’s move.
“Last night I spoke to Mesut. His attitude in the statement is completely patriotic,” Erdogan said, quoted by state TRT Haber broadcaster.
“It is not possible to accept this kind of racist attitude towards a young man who poured so much sweat for the German national team’s success. This cannot be tolerated.”
Oezil’s decision to quit playing for Germany and his strongly-worded four-page statement caused uproar in Germany even as it was applauded by Turkish ministers.
He had faced heavy criticism during the World Cup, especially over a controversial photograph with Erdogan in May ahead of presidential and parliamentary polls in Turkey.
When defending champions Germany crashed out of the group stage of the World Cup in Russia, Oezil was made a scapegoat by some pundits although several other players also failed to perform.
Oezil was dropped after a shock 1-0 defeat to Mexico, sitting out the last-gasp 2-1 win over Sweden, but was one of several stars who played poorly in the 2-0 defeat to South Korea which confirmed Germany’s early World Cup exit.
Oezil, a key member of the squad which won the 2014 World Cup, criticised the German Football Association (DFB) bosses, sponsors and the media.
He lamented a lack of support from DFB president Reinhard Grindel.
“In the eyes of Grindel and his supporters, I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose,” Oezil, 29, wrote.
But the association said in a statement on Monday that it rejected “the notion that the DFB is associated with racism”.
In his statement, Oezil addressed critics of the photo and said that he was not making a political statement when he appeared with the Turkish leader before the World Cup finals. “I have two hearts, one German and one Turkish,” said Oezil.
Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul on Monday congratulated Oezil, saying he had “scored the most beautiful goal against the virus of fascism.”
Oezil’s shock retirement from international football caught Germany coach Joachim Loew by surprise.
Loew was on holiday in Sardinia when news of Oezil’s retirement broke on Sunday and he only found out when the Arsenal midfielder posted statements on Twitter and Instagram.
“Neither the national coach nor I were informed in advance,” Loew’s agent Harun Arslan confirmed to German daily Bild.
A survey of 5,000 Germans by t-online.de showed 49.7 percent think Grindel should resign over the saga.
The Arsenal midfielder is walking away after nine years as one of Loew’s most trusted players.
After 23 goals and 40 assists in 92 appearances for Germany, the loss of Oezil is a blow to Loew, who deployed the Arsenal midfielder as his main playmaker.
Germany’s first game after the World Cup debacle is against newly-crowned world champions France in the new Nations League tournament on Sept 6 in Munich.
With Oezil gone, Loew will have to find his replacement with Paris Saint-Germain’s Julian Draxler or Borussia Dortmund star Marco Reus among the leading candidates.
Leon Goretzka, 23, Lars Stindl, 29, and Thomas Mueller, 28, have also played well for Germany in the attacking midfield role.
“Mesut Abi [brother in Turkish], your technique on the ball has opened the door Germany’s Mesut Oezil reacts during a match at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
to the national team for players like me,” wrote Draxler on his Instagram account along with a picture of him and Oezil.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done for German football. You can be proud of your many achievements.”
However, others see Oezil’s retirement as no great loss for Germany. “He has not put in performances that can help the national team over the last 18 months to two years, nor was he convincing at the World Cup in his two outings,”ex-Germany captain Lothar Matthaeus said.