Germany team manager Oliver Bierhoff has urged supporters to back the players against Saudi Arabia on Friday night instead of heckling Ilkay Gundogan.
Gundogan and Mesut Ozil — who will not play against Saudi Arabia because of a minor knee injury — are in the spotlight after being photographed with Turkey president Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month.
The two players, who are of Turkish descent, were whistled during the friendly defeat in Austria last Saturday, and Germany general manager Bierhoff said he hoped this would not be the case again in Leverkusen on Friday.
“For all the irritation we have now, we are one team, also in Germany with our fans,” he told reporters on Thursday. “Sure, things took the wrong direction a bit. But we are now looking ahead. And that’s why I hope that everyone, even though maybe still annoyed, withholds their anger a bit.”
Gundogan and Ozil posed for photos during Erdogan’s visit to London with the players presenting Erdogan with jerseys. Gundogan, who only holds the German citizenship, dedicated his shirt to “my president.”