Bayern Munich icon Steffen Effenberg calls on Germany to ‘expel’ Mesut Ozil and Ilkay Gundogan over Turkey president controversy

BAYERN MUNICH legend Steffen Effenberg has urged the German national side to "expel" Mesut Ozil and Ilkay Gundogan.

The Premier League duo, born in Germany but of Turkish decent, posed for a picture with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, receiving a huge backlash from back home.

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Both handed him a signed shirt, with the words on Gundogan's reading: 'To my president, with my respects."

The Manchester City man was booed by the German fans during the recent friendly against Saudi Arabia, while Ozil has been spared this as he is injured.

And Effenberg has called on the pair to be severely punished.

He explained: "If you bet on certain values, as the DFB repeatedly conveys, then the decision can only be made by throwing the two players out.

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"Ozil and Gundogan have now been lucky that the DFB acted in this case in an inconsistent way, and not quickly."

The pair had been backed by Germany chancellor Angela Merkel, however, who insisted they were simply naive.

She said: "I believe the two footballers did not consider the impact the photo with Erdogan would have.

"They wanted everything but to disappoint the German fans."

Effenberg himself was sent home from the Germany camp during USA 94 after making an obscene gesture towards the fans.