Ozil retires from International Football

 Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil has retired from the German International team, citing “Racism and Disrespect’ as the reason for his decisions. The backlash started when pictures of him and Turkeys President Recep Tyyip Erdogan surfaced online during the just concluded World Cup Tournament, leading to many Germans accusing him of being deceitful due to his Turkish heritage.

 Breaking his silence over the issue, he said in a statement on twitter that he was true to both his Turkish and German origins, insisting that he had no intention of making a political statement;
 

   “Like many people, my ancestry traces back to more than one country. While I grew up in Germany, my family background has its root firmly based in Turkey,” he said.

    “I have to hearts, one german and one Turkish.”

  Despite his efforts to distance himself from the situation during the World Cup, he continued to be criticized and the criticism increased after Germanys shock exit. German fans booed him during  a friendly game with Austria, while his decision to  not sing the national anthem while playjng in Russia was focused on, when he was dropped from the starting eleven against Sweden, the commentators in Germany pointed out how all of the starting players were singing the anthem.

 
  In his final statement, where he confirmed his retirement, Ozil cited racism as one of the reasons for his decision, referencing times where he was abused for his ancestry, including an instance where he was called a "goat-f***er" by a prominent politician. 

  “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 whilst I have this feeling of racism and disrespect," Ozil wrote.
“I used to wear the German shirt with such pride and excitement but now I don’t. This decision has been extremely difficult to make because I have always given everything for my team-mates, the coaching staff and the good people of Germany.
"But when high-ranking DFB officials treat me as they did, disrespect my Turkish roots and selfishly turn me into political propaganda, then enough is enough. That is not why I play football, and I will not sit back and do nothing about it. Racism should never, ever be accepted.”

Ozils Tweet