Mesut Ozil escapes Germany hell at Arsenal’s Singapore training camp
Playmaker has called time on international career after strong criticism and is relishing chance to be back at his club
NOT so very long ago, Mesut Ozil would have baulked at the mere suggestion of a pre-season trip to the other side of the world.
But as Arsenal touched down in Singapore yesterday Ozil could not have looked happier to be part of Gunners’ 25-man squad sweltering in the oppressive Asian summer heat.
In recent years, the German playmaker has used his international commitments to escape the unrelenting criticism his Premier League performances drew from fans and the British media.
But now the boot is on the other foot and Ozil is suddenly discovering his staunchest supporters are those Arsenal team-mates sheltering him from the s**t storm back in his home country.
The 29-year-old superstar has remained aloof from many of his Emirates colleagues in previous years.
Yet there is no doubt that he is now welcoming the comfort he is receiving from his band of brothers.
Arsenal’s flight to Singapore had already taken off on Sunday lunchtime when Ozil issued a lengthy statement on social media criticising his treatment during the World Cup and announcing his withdrawal from the German national team.
By the time the plane landed 13 hours later, his comments had shaken his homeland to its core and sparked an international debate about racism and multiculturalism.
Nobody has been more vociferous than outspoken Bayern Munich president and convicted tax dodger Uli Hoeness.
The loudmouth former West German international was quick to react to Ozil’s announcement, fuming: “He has been s**t for years, a poor excuse for a footballer who has no place in the international team.
“Ozil last won a tackle before the 2014 World Cup but now hides his s**tty performances behind this picture.”
Ozil, born in Gelsenkirchen as a practising Muslim and the proud son of Turkish immigrants, accused German FA president Reinhard Grindel of leading the bigotry against him.
His declaration claimed: “In the eyes of Grindel and his supporters, I am German when we win but an immigrant when we lose.
“I used to wear the German shirt with such pride and excitement but now I don’t. I feel unwanted.”
Ozil first found himself at the centre of the political storm when he joined Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan for a meeting with the controversial president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in March.
Photographs of the two German internationals presenting signed shirts to hard-liner Erdogan led to loud questions being asked about the patriotism and commitment of both players.
Gundogan immediately issued an apology for the meeting but Ozil refused to comment on the matter despite pressure from Grindel and from German general team manager Oliver Bierhoff.
Both players were booed by their own fans during Germany’s warm-up games and Ozil was a shadow of his usual self during a disastrous World Cup for the defending champions.
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His half-hearted performances during shock defeats by Mexico and South Korea were blamed for the team’s failure to qualify from the group stage for the first time since 1938.
Coach Joachim Low refused to make Ozil the scapegoat. But Bierhoff claimed: “Considerations should have been made about whether to leave Ozil out of the squad. The fact that Ozil and Gundogan took the pictures did not distract the squad but the debate afterwards did.
“Mesut did not say what was expected of him. We never force any player to do something but we always try to convince them. With Mesut, we failed.”
Now Ozil has finally broken his silence, announcing: “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 left the door open for a return if the political climate changes but the deafening silence from his team-mates suggests he will not exactly be welcomed back with open arms.
Contrast that lack of support with the reaction of Arsenal’s Spanish full-back Hector Bellerin, who yesterday tweeted: “Surreal that someone who has done so much for his country on and off the pitch has been treated with such disrespect.
“Well done Mesut Ozil for standing up to this behaviour.”
Ironically, Ozil’s international isolation could lead to him being fully embraced once again by the Arsenal family.
This is the first time he has participated in a long-haul pre-season trip with Arsenal since his move from Real Madrid five years ago.
In the past, he was always allowed to report back late by Arsene Wenger while he recovered from his summer exertions with the national team.
But Germany’s premature retreat from Russia meant he returned to work earlier than usual in a drive to get fit and ready.
Arsenal play Atletico Madrid here on Thursday and Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday before moving on for games against Chelsea in Dublin on August 1 and Lazio three days later in Stockholm before the big kick-off against Manchester City on August 12.
New boss Unai Emery has made it clear that he will not indulge the club’s highest-paid player in the way that Wenger was often accused of.
Signed for a then club-record £42.5million, Ozil’s contribution to an under-performing team became the subject of fierce debate during Wenger’s final years as manager.
So the decision to hand him a budget-busting £350,000-a-week contract in January to prevent him walking away as a free agent this summer was always going to be contentious.
But now Ozil has the chance to show his gratitude by producing his magic on a consistent basis in the Arsenal No 10 shirt which he has always craved.