Germany captain Manuel Neuer has denied that Mesut Ozil was the victim of racism within the German FA (DFB), but admitted the fiasco has taken a toll on the players.
Ozil quit international football last month amid the furore over his meeting and photo opportunity in May with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which raised questions about Ozil’s loyalty to Germany.
Having been booed by German fans in pre-World Cup friendlies, Ozil quit the national team following Germany’s shock early exit from the finals in Russia and with his parting shot he accused DFB president Reinhard Grindel of racism.
However, Bayern Munich star Neuer denies any claims of racism within the national team.
“We’ve always tried to integrate all the players and we’ve also done everything for our teammates to make them feel good going into games,” said Neuer at Bayern’s pre-season training camp in southern Bavaria.
The world-class goalkeeper admitted Ozil’s comments have taken a toll on those who still play for Germany.
“There has been a lot of back and forth with much written and said about it. Of course, it was very stressful for those who read about it,” added Neuer.
Only a few Germany stars have spoken out about the scandal and head coach Joachim Loew has yet to comment.
After 23 goals and 40 assists in 92 internationals for Germany, Ozil, who was born in Gelsenkirchen to Turkish parents, quit the national team in an explosive three-part statement a fortnight ago.
“In the eyes of Grindel and his supporters, I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose,” wrote the Arsenal midfielder, whose comments sparked a racism storm in Germany and triggered fierce debate about integration.
Ozil was singled out by some corners of the German media as a reason for Germany’s poor World Cup performances, but Grindel, who has refused calls to resign, later refuted his claims of racism within the DFB.
– ‘Need for change’ –
Neuer said he understood Ozil’s reasons to quit, “it is the decision of each player. You have to look for the reasons for yourself and, in his case, he found them.
“Of course we accept this decision.”
Following the Ozil furore and Germany’s woeful World Cup displays in the group stages, Neuer has called for a fresh start, especially for their next game against new world champions France in Munich on September 6.
German-Kurdish footballer Deniz Naki has hit out at Mesut Ozil following his shock resignation from the German national team, telling Euronews that if the star player really cared about racism he would be directing his criticism towards Turkey.
Ozil hit headlines around the world last month when he announced that he would no longer play for the German national team because of the “racism and disrespect” he had faced over his Turkish roots.
The player said he had been subjected to “racist” commentary for having his photograph taken with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in May, and believed he had been used as a scapegoat for Germany’s early defeat at the World Cup because of his race.
“In the eyes of [German Football Association President] Grindel and his supporters I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose,” he wrote in a lengthy statement posted to his Twitter account.
Following the announcement, former Germany Under-19 and Under-20 player Naki released his own statement on social media, accusing the Arsenal midfielder of hypocrisy for failing to speak out against alleged racism in Turkish football.
‘I was never exposed to racism in Germany’
Naki told Euronews that he had never felt persecuted because of his race while playing football in Germany.
“Me as a person born and raised in Germany, as a person who played in German national teams, I’m telling you honestly, I was never exposed to racism,” he said.
“I saw neither pressure nor discrimination in the federation and in the clubs I played for in Germany.”
The 29-year-old midfielder said it was in Turkey that he had been subjected to racism.