Joachim Low has hit out at Germany fans for again booing midfielder Ilkay Gundogan.
Manchester City playmaker Gundogan was jeered by supporters during last Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Austria following his meeting with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Whistles rained down once more in Leverkusen on Friday when Gundogan came on as a second-half substitute during the 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia , despite Low gesturing for the masses to applaud.
Mesut Ozil, also of Turkish descent, made the visit with Gundogan for a photo opportunity with Erdogan , who is the subject of criticism from human rights groups and exiled Turkish citizens over his government’s alleged systematic arrest of journalists, civil rights activists and political opponents.
Arsenal star Ozil did not feature against Saudi Arabia but Low is keen to close the issue with Germany’s World Cup defence to begin in nine days against Mexico.
“He’s a member of the national team,” Low said, speaking to ARD about Gundogan.
“That [booing] doesn’t help anyone.”