Enduring a surprisingly brief World Cup campaign, Germany's failure to challenge for the trophy they claimed four years ago has left many wondering why things went quite so disastrously for Joachim Low's side. An opening round defeat to Mexico prompted concerns that events occurring beyond the reaches of the German camp contributed to a more widely felt malaise, and Mesut Ozil appeared to be at the centre of it.
Along with Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan, both Premier League stars were pictured with the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in the weeks prior to the commencement of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, during a presidential visit to the UK.
A Guardian report outlined how this image of two German stars posing with the Turkish president had "reignited a debate over dual citizenship and national identity in Germany." Two member of the German national team with Turkish ancestry, Gundogan addressed the fallout after being booed by a section of the German fans during a pre-tournament friendly in June.
Mesut Ozil has now chosen to share his feelings on the matter.
Taking to his Twitter account this morning, Ozil pre-empted his remarks with an explanation that he had had time to 'think and reflect,' and now wished to address the issue publicly:
Like many people, my ancestry traces back to more than one country. Whilst I grew up in Germany, my family background has its roots firmly based in Turkey.
I have two hearts, one German and one Turkish. During my childhood, my mother taught me to always be respectful and to never forget where I came from, and these are still values that I think about to this day.
Outlining his previous encounters with the Turkish president, Ozil stated that; "For me, having a picture with President Erdogan wasn't about politics or elections, it was about me respecting the highest office of my family's country."
In a reasoned, measured response, Mesut Ozil finished on a stern note:
Whatever the outcome would've been in this previous election, or the election before that, I would still have taken the picture.
Only that wasn't is for Ozil's statement. After covering Erodgan, Ozil moved on to Media & Sponsors. In a lengthy post you can read it in its entirety below, Ozil picked out one particular figure; Lothar Matthaus:
What I also find disappointing are the double standards that the media have. Lothar Matthaus (an honorary German national team captain) met with another world leader a few days back, and received almost no media criticism.
If the media felt I should have been left out of the World Cup squad, then surely he should be stripped of his honorary captaincy?
When the third installment of Ozil's message arrived, it was arguably the most provocative of all. In what is likely to signal the end of his international career, Ozil directed this particular message to the German footballing federation:
Directing his scorn toward the federation's president, Reinhard Grindel, Ozil accused him of 'mistreating' the Arsenal star after he had carefully explained his reasons for the photograph in question.
Stressing that he will "no longer stand for being a scapegoat for [Grindel's] incompetence and inabillity to do his job properly," you can read the full extent of Ozil's lengthy diatribe below.
III / III pic.twitter.com/c8aTzYOhWU
— Mesut Özil (@M10) July 22, 2018
The first two posts from Mesut Ozil are available below.
The past couple of weeks have given me time to reflect, and time to think over the events of the last few months. Consequently, I want to share my thoughts and feelings about what has happened. pic.twitter.com/WpWrlHxx74
— Mesut Özil (@M10) July 22, 2018
II / III pic.twitter.com/Jwqv76jkmd
— Mesut Özil (@M10) July 22, 2018
