World Cup, South Korea vs Germany: Germany's Mesut Özil looks dejected after the match on June 27, 2018.
The majority of the roughly 3 million people with Turkish roots who live in Germany are well integrated, a spokeswoman for Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday, after German soccer star Mesut Özil quit the national team citing racism.
Merkel's spokeswoman stressed that people with migrant backgrounds were welcome in Germany and added that the German chancellor valued Ozil.
The spokeswoman, who described Özil as a great soccer player who had done a lot for the national team, said Merkel respected Özil's decision to quit.
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.
Mesut Özil slams Germany for ‘racism and disrespect’, quits national team
German Bayern Munich football club President Uli Hoeness weighed in on Turkish-origin star Mesut Özil retiring from the German side, citing the racism and discrimination he faced from team officials.‘Nightmare is over’ Commenting on the news about the 29-year-old star quitting the German national team, Hoeness told reporters in Munich “I’m glad the nightmare is over,” which was met with outrage on social media. "The last tackle he won was before the 2014 World Cup. And now he is hiding himself and his poor performances behind this photo."Footballer Mesut Ozil announced Sunday his retirement from Germany’s national team, citing "racism and disrespect".Citing 'racism', soccer star Mesut Özil quits German team"It is with a heavy heart and after much consideration that because of recent events, I will no longer be playing for Germany at international level while I have this feeling of racism and disrespect," the player said in a series of social media posts on Sunday."I used to wear the German shirt with such pride and excitement, but now I don't. I feel unwanted and think that what I have achieved since my international debut in 2009 has been forgotten."Germany’s star player, who has Turkish origins, has been criticized by German politicians and media outlets after he met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in May, ahead of elections in Turkey.Ozil defended a meeting with Erdogan during a charity event in London, saying a picture with the Turkish president was not about politics or elections.Video: Mesut Özil slams Germany for ‘racism and disrespect’, quits national team“It was about me respecting the highest office of my family’s country,” he said.“Whatever the outcome would’ve been in this previous election, or the election before that, I would have still taken the picture,” he added.The 29-year-old star strongly criticized German media outlets for questioning his loyalty to Germany, and accusing him, alone, for the failure of national team at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.“I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose,” he said.I would still have photographed with Erdoğan, says footballer Mesut Özil
Bayern Munich head on Özil quitting German team: ‘Nightmare is over’
Footballer Mesut Ozil announced Sunday his retirement from Germany’s national team, citing "racism and disrespect".Germany’s star player, who has Turkish origins, has been criticized by German politicians and media outlets after he met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in May, ahead of elections in Turkey.In a series of tweets on Sunday, Ozil defended his meeting with Erdogan during a charitable event in London, saying a picture with the Turkish president was not about politics or elections.Video: Mesut Özil slams Germany for ‘racism and disrespect’, quits national team“It was about me respecting the highest office of my family’s country,” he said.“Whatever the outcome would’ve been in this previous election, or the election before that, I would have still taken the picture,” he added.The 29-year-old star strongly criticized German media outlets for questioning his loyalty to Germany, and accusing him, alone, for the failure of national team at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.“I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose,” he said.I would still have photographed with Erdoğan, says footballer Mesut ÖzilOzil expressed his disappointment for still facing discrimination and racism even though he was born and educated in Germany.“My friend Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose are never referred to as German-Polish, so why am I German-Turkish? Is this because it is Turkey? Is it because I'm a Muslim?” he asked.Ozil also slammed German Football Association President (DFB) Reinhard Grindel for mistreatment and pursuing a political agenda, soon after he was criticized by politicians and media for meeting with Turkish president Erdogan.‘I used to wear the German shirt with such pride, but now I don’t,’ he said, adding that it has been an "extremely difficult" decision for him.“But when high-ranking DFP officials treat me as they did, disrespect my Turkish roots and selfishly turn me into political propaganda, then enough is enough,” he said.“Racism should never, ever be accepted,” he stressed.
Citing 'racism', soccer star Mesut Özil quits German team