Mesut Ozil has released a statement explaining his controversial meeting with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying that there was no political motive. Ozil and fellow Germany international Ilkay Gundogan, whom have Turkish roots,were pictured with Erdogan during a meeting in London, leading to an outcry from pundits and the German media. In the strongly worded three part statement, Ozil, who has been a subject of heavy criticism and boos, has said he was simply paying homage to the political office of the country of his ancestors.
Ozil's statement in full: Part I of III
“The past couple of weeks have given me time to reflect, and time to think over the events of the last few months. Consequently, I want to share my thoughts and feelings about what has happened. Like many people, my ancestry traces back to more than one country. Whilst I grew up in Germany, my family background has its roots firmly based in Turkey. I have two hears, one German and one Turkish. During my childhood, my mother taught me always to be respectful and to never forget where I came from, and these are still values that I think about to this day."
“In May, I met President Erdogan in London, during a charitable and educational event. We first met in 2010 after he and Angela Merkel watched the Germany vs Turkey match together in Berlin. Since then, out paths have crossed a lot of times around the globe. I'm aware that the picture of us caused a huge response in the German media, and whilst some people may accuse me of lying or being deceitful, the picture we took had no political intentions. As I said, my mother has never let me lose sight of my ancestry, heritage and family traditions. For me, having a picture with President Erdogan wasn't about politics or elections, it was about me respecting the highest office of my family's country. My job is a football player and not a politician, and out meeting was not an endorsement of any policies. In fact, we spoke about the same topic that we do every time we have met – football – as he too was a player in his youth."
“Although the German media have portrayed something different, the truth is that not meeting with the President would have been disrespecting the roots of my ancestors, who I know would be proud of where I am today. For me, it didn't matter who was President, it mattered that it was the President. Having respect for political office is a view I'm sure both the Queen and Prime Minister Theresa May share when they too hosted Erdogan in London. Whether it had been the Turkish or German president, my actions would've been no different."
“I get that this might be hard to understand, as in most cultures the political leader cannot be thought of as being separate from the person. But in this case, it is different. Whatever the outcome would've been in the previous election, or the election before that, I would have still taken the picture.”
Part II of III
“I know that I am a footballer who has played in arguably the three toughest leagues in the world. I've been fortunate to receive great support from my teammates and coaching staff while playing in the Bundesliga, La Liga and the Premier League. And in addition, throughout my career, I've learnt to deal with the media."
“A lot of people talk about my performances – many applaud and many criticise. If a newspaper or pundit finds fault in a game I play in, then I can accept this – I'm not a perfect footballer and this often motivates me to work and train harder. But what I can't accept are German media outlets repeatedly blaming my dual-heritage and a simple picture for a bad World Cup on behalf of an entire squad."
“Certain German newspapers are using my background and photo with President Erdogan as right-wing propaganda to further their political cause. Why else did they use pictures and headlines with my name as a direct explanation for defeat in Russia? They didn't criticise my performances, they didn't criticise the team's performances, they just criticised my Turkish ancestry and respect for my upbringing. This crosses a personal line that should never be crossed, as newspapers try to turn the nation of Germany against me.
“What I also find disappointing are the double standards that the media has. Lothar Matthaus (an honorary German national team captain) met with another world leader a few days back, and received almost no media criticism. Despite his role with the DFB (German national team), they have not asked him to publicly explain his actions and he continues to represent the players of Germany without any reprimand. If the media felt that I should have been left out of the World Cup squad, then surely he should be stripped of his honorary captaincy? Does my Turkish heritage make me a more worthy target?"
“I've always thought that a 'partnership' infers support, both in the good times and also during tougher situations. Recently, I planned to visit my former school in Berger-Feld in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, along with two of my charitable partners. I funded a project for one year where immigrant children, children from poor families and any other children can play football together and learn social rules for life. However, days before we were schedule to go, I was abandoned by my so-called 'partners', who no longer wanted to work with me at this time. To add to this, the school told my management that they no longer wanted me to be there at this time, as they 'feared the media' due to my picture with President Erdogan, especially with the 'right-wing party in Gelsenkirchen on the rise'. In all honesty, this really hurt. Despite being a student of their back when I was younger, I was made to feel unworthy of their time."
“In addition to this, I was renounced by another partner. As they are also a sponsor of the DFB, I was asked to take part in promotional videos for the World Cup. Yet after my picture with President Erdogan, they took me out of the campaigns and cancelled all promotional activities that were scheduled. For them, it was no longer good to be seen with me and called the situation 'crisis management'. This is all ironic because a German Ministry declared their products to have illegal and unauthorized software devices in them, which puts customers at risk. Hundreds of thousands of their products are getting recalled. Whilst I was being criticised and asked to justify my actions by the DFB, there was no such official and public explanation demanded of the DFB sponsor. Why? Am I right in thinking this is worse than a picture with the President of my family's country? What does the DFB have to say about all this?
“As I said before, 'partners' should stick with you in all situations. Adidas, Beats and BigShoe have been extremely loyal and amazing to work with in this time. They rise above the nonsense created by the German press and media, and we carry out our projects in a professional manner that I really enjoy being part of. During the World Cup, I worked with BigShoe and helped get 23 young children life-changing surgeries in Russia, which I have also done previously in Brazil and Africa. This for me is the most important thing that I do as a football player, yet the newspapers find no space to raise awareness about this sort of thing. For them, me being booed or taking a picture with a President is more significant than helping children get surgeries worldwide. They too have a platform to raise awareness and funds, but choose not to do so.”
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