By Oliver Trust
BERLIN, July 23 (Xinhua) -- German Football Association (DFB) president Reinhard Grindel and national team manager Oliver Bierhoff are under attack after Mesut Oezil made controversial statements when he announced his retirement from international football.
The midfielder with Turkish roots accused the DFB and its president of racism and complained about a lack of support. "I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose," wrote the Arsenal midfielder on social media.
Oezil says he will no longer play for Germany after criticism for meeting with controversial Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a month before the 2018 World Cup and for his performances in Russia. Oezil's grandparents and his (at that time two-year-old father) emigrated to Germany.
Born in Gelsenkirchen in the Rhine-Ruhr region, Oezil has won 92 caps for Germany, scored 23 goals and won the 2014 World Cup. After deciding to play for Germany instead of Turkey, Oezil was heavily criticized in Turkey for his decision.
The 29-year-old has now accused the country's media of making him solely responsible for the Germany's exit at the group stage in Russia. The two hearts in his chest are continually being ignored, Oezil said. Oezil refuses to sing the German national anthem before internationals.
The midfielder says he does not sing because he wants to pay respect to his Turkish roots. He has remained silent up until now about the controversial photo in the middle of the election campaign in Turkey.
Meanwhile, Oezil's accusations could cause one of the biggest crises in the history of the DFB. Several German media outlets are demanding Grindel's resignation due to the bad management of the situation.
Oezil attacked Grindel saying he was "fed up of being used as a scapegoat for the president's incompetence and inability to do his job properly."
The Arsenal player added that the treatment has made him "no longer willing to wear the German national team shirt" and that he will not play for the team while there is "this feeling of racism and disrespect."
Bierhoff said in a recent newspaper interview, "We have never forced any player of the national team to do anything. But we always tried to convince them. We haven't succeeded with Mesut. It's why we should have thought about leaving him out from a sporting point of view."
Grindel said Oezil had to explain himself after his vacation. The DFB president is thought to have issued an ultimatum.
Grindel and Bierhoff are accused of having underestimated the issue and having ignored the consequences. Reports spoke about unrest within the German team after no solution was found ahead of the World Cup.
The affair is made even more explosive as Germany and Turkey are battling for the right to host the 2024 European Championship.
German media say Oezil has overshot the mark. Leading papers like the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" wrote that Oezil is going too far in accusing Grindel of racism. Enditem
