Ilkay Gundogan, who was part of the controversy with Mesut Ozil has finally broken his silence to talk about the issue. He has expressed his sadness over Ozil’s retirement from the German team and suggested that racism was the reason behind his retirement.
Gundogan finally came out to speak about the controversy that happened before the World Cup.
Gundogan believes he and Ozil were singled out because of their ethnic backgrounds. After Germany were knocked out of the World Cup in the group stage, Ozil came in the spotlight of criticism more.
Ozil retired from international football with immediate effect stating racism and disrespect as reasons. The Arsenal attacker claimed the way the German football association has treated him makes him no longer want to wear the German national team shirt. And his team-mate Gundogans also feels that they were not treated right.
In an interview with Funke Sport, an angry Gundogan said:
“Was the affair racially motivated? You’re telling me! Is it not racism when a German politician writes on Facebook: ‘The German national football team: 25 Germans and two goat f***ers?'”
“That’s something you have to call racism. Nevertheless, that does not mean that all people in Germany are racists – not at all. Almost all my life I have had good experiences in Germany. I want to say that very clearly here. But there are people who have politically used the resulting photo for themselves. And in this context, the line to racism was partially crossed.”
The German midfielder also disagreed that those of foreign descent in the Germany squad formed their own ‘Kanake’. Kanake is a derogatory term for Turks in Germany that has been reclaimed by some of that community – clique, and that in Russia there was one single team.
“Of course there were some jokes here and there about certain Instagram postings. But that is quite normal, that you get up here and there a bit in a positive way. “But that was just always meant to be fun and definitely had nothing to do with racism! At the 2014 World Cup, it was ‘Die Mannschaft’ everywhere with 23 very best buddies and now, after a disappointing 2018 World Cup, there is talk of fractured groupings, though they were largely the same players and characters. This is now exaggerated from the outside!”
When asked about his former team-mate, he said:
“In sporting terms, I think Mesut’s resignation is a pity. He did a lot for German football. It’s a loss for the team. Mesut has also done a lot for me personally. He was one of the reasons why I wanted to play for Germany. He has paved the way for me. So I would have wished that he would get a better, deserved goodbye. However, one has to say that it was Mesut’s decision to go that way – with all the consequences. I would have done it differently – because I’m different from the personality.”
At the end of the day, Gundogan believes Ozil treatment in Germany crossed the line of racism.