Mesut Özil has been silent for more than a year. Now the former German national player spoke extensively for the first time about his resignation from the German national team, the photo with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and racist insults against him. And he also attacks the German national team.
In an interview with the US sports website The Athletic, the 31-year-old Arsenal midfielder criticized his failure to receive national team support during the 2018 World Cup in Russia: "But after the photo ( with Erdogan; Editor's Note ) I did not respect and feel protected, I was racially insulted - even by politicians and public figures - but nobody on the national team said, 'Hey, stop that! He's our player do not insult him so much, "said Özil. Everyone had remained silent and would have let it happen.
Özil declared his resignation in July 2018 in a three-part statement on his social media channels. Already in this he had denounced racism and attacked in particular the then DFB President Reinhard Grindel sharp.
The Erdogan photo does not regret Özil
But now Özil expands his criticism: "I had the feeling that I was expected to apologize for the meeting, to admit that it was a mistake, then everything would be ok, otherwise I would not be welcome anymore should go, "Özil said. "I would never do that."
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Mesut Özil in the DFB jersey: resignation was "the right decision"
National coach Joachim Loew had taken before the World Cup for Ozil and also for Ilkay Gundogan, who had also been photographed with the Turkish president, party and taken both players in defense. After the break in the preliminary round, however, there had been criticism of Özil, especially from Grindel, but also from the DFB director. Thus fueled the DFB the debate still. Özil later accused Grindel of racism in his statement.
Now he said: Germany has a big problem, as the attack in Halle shows. "Unfortunately, racism is no longer just a right wing issue in the country, it has moved into the middle of society."
That he had a photo taken with Erdogan at a meeting in London just before the World Cup in May 2018 was legitimate: "Erdogan is the current president of Turkey and I would pay tribute to that, no matter who that is," Özil said. "Although I was born and raised in Germany, Turkey is part of my heritage." If Chancellor Angela Merkel were in London and would like to speak to him, "then I would do the same - it's all about showing respect for the head of a country," said Özil.
When Özil married in the summer, Erdogan is said to have been the best man, as the state news agency Anadolu reported.
The 31-year-old wants to stay with Arsenal
His regret after the World Cup he does not regret: "With some time to reflect in between, I know that it was the right decision," said Özil. "I'm not saying that people have to love me, but they should show respect for what I've done for Germany," Özil said. "My generation has changed German football."
At Arsenal FC Özil is currently in a difficult phase. Coach Unai Emery hardly uses him. From eight league games he played only in one. However, Özil excludes a premature change: "I will stay at Arsenal until at least 2021," he said. Then his current contract ends.
At the end of July, an attempted robbery struck Özil, his wife Amine Özil and his colleague Arsenal Sead Kolasinac. "I was worried about my wife," Özil said. She did not feel safe after the incident. It had been hard weeks, but neither he nor his wife would have wanted to move permanently from London.