Mesut Ozil, bye German Football
Following the quitting of international football by German midfielder, Mesut Ozil, over allegations that German Football Association (DFB) showed racist tendency against him, the world has reacted in condemnation and shock.
Some footballers took side with Ozil to condemn the DFB while some other commentators urged restraint in dealing with an issue they said has refused to go away.
Hector Bellerin, Ozil’s Arsenal team mate wrote on his twitter handle: “Surreal that someone who has done so much for his country on and off the pitch has been treated with such disrespect. Well done @MesutOzil1088 for standing up to this behaviour”.
Richard Williams, a columnist at Guardian of UK wrote: “The affair is symptomatic of a world under strain. During the World Cup two Switzerland players of Kosovan descent, Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka, were fined by Fifa for making the sign of the Albanian double eagle after scoring against Serbia, Kosovo’s enemy in the war of 1998-99. Even the ultimate champions were forced to listen to complaints inside their own country that the World Cup had been won by an “African” team. When a website tweeted a list of France’s squad members with the name of each player accompanied by the flag representing his family’s origin, the full-back Benjamin Mendy answered by reposting the list with each flag replaced by the tricolore. “Fixed,” he added.
Meanwhile, German Football Association (DFB) on Monday rejected accusations by star midfielder Mesut Ozil that it was racist.
Ozil said on Sunday he would no longer play for the national team because he faced “racism and disrespect” due to his Turkish roots.
“We emphatically reject the DFB being linked to racism,” the DFB said in a statement.
“The DFB has been very involved in integration work in Germany for many years.”
Ozil, who plays for English club Arsenal, said DFB President Reinhard Grindel had blamed him for Germany’s poor performance at this year’s World Cup, considering him a German when the side won and an immigrant when they lost.
