Very good post but if you don't think that xenophobia plays a part in this then unfortunately you are being very naive! Many of the people who attacked Ozil could not give a damn about Erdogan or even name a few of his policies but used it as a chance to go at the 'Muslim-Turk' Ozil.
Mesut Özil retires from "die Mannschaft"
- Thread starter OutlawGER
- Start date
Exactly and these are two different issues. What exactly are they going to do to him for the photo? Ban him? On what grounds?
Write long editorials in Welt and Spiegel? What good will that do? He's already been pretty unrepentant.
As for the German team's 'performances' - that's on Löw surely? How can an association let a sole player become a scapegoat?
Savages mate. Test cricket is the only civilized sport left. Even Phil and Gary Neville know it.
Great decision. I would have been fed up as well if they had made me the scapegoat for everything.
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Good post.
But die Mannschaft will recover. Hopefully already against the new crowned world champion France in a few weeks at nations league.
Ya but Özil is doing the distraction here. I don't know why people now pretend this is about the WC, the discussion happened already before the WC in german media/around the german NT and the "mistake" was simply to ignore it and NOT act on it, Özil and Gündogan shouldn't have been nominated and anyone who thinks that's too harsh... well other players were "banned" from the german NT for a lot less (Stefan Effenberg was sent home from the WC in '94 because he showed his middle finger to the cameras, Kruse hasn't been nominated because of some scandals which had nothing to do with the NT, Kuranyi was once banned because he left a game of the NT too soon while only being a watcher in the stands!).
I have no doubt that if a player like Müller, Hummels, Kroos etc. had a meeting with some of the right wing politicians (AFD) in Germany there wouldn't even need to be a discussion, you'd never see them again in the german NT and no apology in the world would suffice.
Considering this Özil and Gündogan got A LOT of leeway but instead of realising their mistake they doubled down and now Özil is even playing the victim card. That's shameless.
I have no doubt that right wing populists and racists exploit this as much as they can, but that doesn't change the validity of the criticism the two received from the center and left.
Right decision, I guess. They've got younger, more energetic players coming through the ranks.
Fair enough, I had a little chuckle that’s all.
I thought using Beckham was a bit weird even though I know what you meant by it being a big personality. Most of this with Özil is due to him being Turkish too I thought. I don’t know enough about it tbh so I’ll leave it now
A scandal made out of this picture? Fecking hell get a grip.
He made this picture right ahead of the WC. A huge scandal in Germany because he represents the German NT and Erdogan is seen as a huge enemy in Germany.
I mean it’s even with an Arsenal shirt
Before the WC they begged him to speak about it to the public but Özil refused to do so (at this point they had to suspend him, if not even before) while Gundogan did. After the terrible WC Bierhoff (Teammanager) and Grindel (newish FA president) publicly blamed Mesut for not talking about it and demanded an explanation. They got massive backlash for it because now it looks like they try to overshadow the horrific WC performance with this topic and Özil had now the perfect opportunity to strike back. And that will cost Grindels job probably as he has been attacked by the likes of Bayern (Rummenigge) too.
Thanks. That's some spectacular scapegoating right there!
Talk about hypocrisy and lack of self-awareness, at the start of his letter:
"I have two hearts, one German, one Turkish".
At the end of his letter:
"Are there criteria for being fully German which I do not fit? My friend Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose are never referred to as German-Polish, so why am I German-Turkish? Is it because it is Turkey? Is it because I'm Muslim? I think here lays an important issue. By being referred to as German-Turkish, it is already distinguishing people who have family from more than one country".
Well gee, one surefire way of being referred to as German-Turkish would be by describing yourself as half German and half Turkish.
Posing with a dictator ffs. They'll be better off without him. Fair weather player.Quite a well written and argued statement, I think.
Sounds like the mann has been schafted.
To be fair, you don’t have to be xenophobic to be a bit disgusted at someone for taking a photo with someone that has the history of Erdogan.
He shouldn't have retired. His enemies are happier than ever.
So are a lot of Arsenal fans
Worth mentioning that Emre Can declined his invitation to meet with Erdogan
Because he would be more fresh with Arsenal?
Didn't Salah do something similar with less uproar?
Ozil fecked up, but does someone really think that he supports Erdogans policies? He is just ignorant.
But everything that happened after that was a disgrace from Dfb. They allowed racist attacks, death threaths, made him a scapegoat. You don't do that to your player.
But everything that happened after that was a disgrace from Dfb. They allowed racist attacks, death threaths, made him a scapegoat. You don't do that to your player.
He retired from competitive club football a few years ago to sign for Wenger’s Arsenal and, irrespective of the photo op with a dictator, I imagine it’s hard to turn it back on with the national side.
Yes, no exhaustion, distraction or injury from NT break and no tournaments in the summer.
I don't think anyone with an ounce of self respect would've kept playing for Bierhoff and Grindel after how they cynically shafted him.
The guy who was born, raised in Germany and trained under the German youth system. Decided to play for Germany rather than Turkey, but refuses to sing the German Anthem and poses with a dictator who clearly antagonizes Germany and ironically used the word Nazism to describe the current German Chancellor's actions.
Imagine a player in the English national team who keeps his mouth shut when the anthem comes on and keeps complaining that he's mistreated?
I'm not at all blaming him for Germany's disastrous world cup campaign, however I can definitely see where the resentment toward him from the Germans is coming from.
Imagine a player in the English national team who keeps his mouth shut when the anthem comes on and keeps complaining that he's mistreated?
I'm not at all blaming him for Germany's disastrous world cup campaign, however I can definitely see where the resentment toward him from the Germans is coming from.
Some should know, that Gündogan was there too, with a City shirt and with a print on the shirt "My president.."
Gündogan just have released a statement just before the WC on his Instagram account and that's why he nearly got no criticism compared to Özil.
According to Özils statement, he would like to released a statement together with German President Steinmeier, but Grindel was upset, that it wasn't his team releasing the first statement.
And then after the World Cup Grindel rush Özil medial to a statement. That's just crazy.
The completely right decision from Özil to retire with a president like this.
Can't imagine that Grindel will survive this as the DFB president.
Gündogan just have released a statement just before the WC on his Instagram account and that's why he nearly got no criticism compared to Özil.
According to Özils statement, he would like to released a statement together with German President Steinmeier, but Grindel was upset, that it wasn't his team releasing the first statement.
And then after the World Cup Grindel rush Özil medial to a statement. That's just crazy.
The completely right decision from Özil to retire with a president like this.
Can't imagine that Grindel will survive this as the DFB president.
Maybe so but that does not excuse that in my opinion, people who would not even know who Erdogan is if they walked past him on the street used this to have a go at Mesut because of their issues with him being a Turkish- German in Germany who is proud of his roots and proud of being a Muslim. There are many people who disliked Mesut for that reason and that is the wider issue here.
Wow, you understand really nothing from his statement.
First you should know, that Özil is praying during the german national anthem - nothing based on "refusing".
Second you should know, that nearly nobody was singing the anthem around 20 years ago at DFB and nobody had a problem with this. Now one haven't done it and it's the worst thing ever.
Good for Ozil, focusing on winning trophies with Arsenal
Like Wayne Rooney?
What fecking resentment? He helped Germany win a fecking World cup? They should be cheesed off because he has no political nous? He's in the team to boot a ball not for his advanced views on Habermas, Clausewitz and Heidegger and modern politics. Judge him on that.
Understood and agree. However, there are just as many people in Germany (and all over the world) that view Erdogan for what he is - none of it positive.
You defend racists in your own way.
This retirement comes months too late and it was inevitable - at least his consultants wrote this statement before the next international game...
His "reckoning" is full of self pity, he attempts to cast the victim as the culprit and of course the thought-terminating-cliche is not missing: racism
Bye bye Özil, we will not be missing you.
His "reckoning" is full of self pity, he attempts to cast the victim as the culprit and of course the thought-terminating-cliche is not missing: racism
Bye bye Özil, we will not be missing you.
That was heartbreaking to read yet such a powerful letter. Respect to Ozil for doing what he did.
So if someone sings an anthem he can complain that he's mistreated.
The whole thing flew way over your head.
I don't understand this part. Wouldn't anyone treating migrants poorly because they are migrants be responsible for their own actions? Agree with his statements or not, I don't see how Ozil can be blamed for other people acting xenophobic.
Germans can be such racist arses. Making too much noise about a picture with Erdogan “devil incarnate”, while supporting Putin’s regime (aka being a customer for Russia’s gas and providing cold hard cash at a time when he needs it most), selling tanks to Saudi Arabia, the most democratic regime in the world etc.
Good for Mesut standing his ground.
Good for Mesut standing his ground.
Honegstein pointing out on twitter that he hasn't actually retired, he just said he won't play for Germany while he has this feeling of racism and disrespect. Slightly different.
Don't see what the issue is he retired from Arsenal 18 months ago.
What a little snowflake
Wtf. If he chose to play for Germany over Turkey he did you guys a favour.