Arsenal and Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil has responded to criticism regarding his meeting with controversial Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Along with Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan – both footballers are of Turkish descent – the Germany international met President Erdogan in May of this year, drawing criticism from the Germany Football Association.
Ozil was also the target of negative comments from various German politicians who questioned his attitude towards German democratic values.
The Arsenal playmaker posed for photos with Erdogan which heightened the controversy, however, he has now come out and defended his actions.
Releasing a statement via his official Twitter account, Ozil stressed that his actions were not politically motivated and that it would have gone against his heritage to decline the opportunity of meeting President Erdogan.
Ozil’s tweet read: “The past couple of weeks have given me time to reflect, and time to think over the events of the last few months.
“Consequently, I want to share my thoughts and feelings about what has happened.”
The past couple of weeks have given me time to reflect, and time to think over the events of the last few months. Consequently, I want to share my thoughts and feelings about what has happened. pic.twitter.com/WpWrlHxx74
— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) July 22, 2018
The statement spoke in detail about the situation and the motivation behind meeting President Erdogan in London a few months previous.
“Like many people, my ancestry traces back to more than one country. Whilst I grew up in Germany, my family background has its roots firmly based in Turkey. I have two hears, one German and one Turkish.
“During my childhood, my mother taught me always to be respectful and to never forget where I came from, and these are still values that I think about to this day.
“In may, I met President Erdogan in London, during a charitable and educational event. We first met in 2010 after he and Angela Merkel watched the Germany vs Turkey match together in Berlin.
“Since then, out paths have crossed a lot of times around the globe. I’m aware that the picture of us caused a huge response in the German media, and whilst some people may accuse me of lying or being deceitful, the picture we took had no political intentions.
“As I said, my mother has never let me lose sight of my ancestry, heritage and family traditions.”
The former Real Madrid talent also stressed that his job is first and foremost football and his time with President Erdogan was purely professionally founded, with the pair concentrating their discussions on football rather than any politically influenced intentions.
“For me, having a picture with President Erdogan wasn’t about politics or elections, it was about me respecting the highest office of my family’s country. My job is a football player and not a politician, and out meeting was not an endorsement of any policies.
“In fact, we spoke about the same topic that we do every time we have met – football – as he too was a player in his youth.
“Although the German media have portrayed something different, the truth is that not meeting with the President would have been disrespecting the roots of my ancestors, who I know would be proud of where I am today.
“For me, it didn’t matter who was President, it mattered that it was the President. Having respect for political office is a view I’m sure both the Queen and Prime Minister Theresa May share when they too hosted Erdogan in London.
“Whether it had been the Turkish or German president, my actions would’ve been no different.
“I get that this might be hard to understand, as in most cultures the political leader cannot be thought of as being separate from the person. But in this case, it is different.
“Whatever the outcome would’ve been in the previous election, or the election before that, I would have still taken the picture.”
The post Arsenal and Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil issues statement on Erdogan controversy appeared first on Squawka News.
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