FOOTBALL
Mesut Özil slams Germany for ‘racism and disrespect’, quits national team
Haber Merkezi 17:09 July 23, 2018 Yeni Şafak
German soccer player Mesut Özil's decision to quit the national team due to "racism and disrespect" he faced over his Turkish roots has rattled Germany and threw a spotlight on the country's stance toward migrants. Özil's announcement came late on Sunday via social media. The player, who came under fire for having his photograph taken with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in May, was especially piqued by criticism from German Football Association (DFB) head Reinhard Grindel, who he said blamed him for Germany crashing out of this year's tournament.