Mesut Ozil watched the 2022 World Cup from the stands and tweeted his thanks to host country Qatar for having it.
It’s not the first time the ex-DFB-Elf star has been seen at this year’s World Cup – and some German fans are certainly not happy about it.
twitter:@m10
Ozil clearly enjoyed himself in Qatar, but the same cannot be said for his former team and his fans.
“Great to be in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup,” the star tweeted hours before Germany were knocked out of Group E.
“Thank you for the great hospitality and the perfect organization – it’s always a pleasure to be here.
“All the best to Qatar for the remaining tournament – insha’Allah, we’ll see each other again soon.
He then added a Turkish flag and a Qatari flag at the end of his post.
Ozil has already made headlines at the tournament, however, after Qatari fans were seen holding up posters of the former Arsenal man and covering their mouths.
This appeared to dig into the German team’s treatment of Ozil and the decision to cover their mouths before playing in Japan to represent them “silent” for not being allowed to wear the OneLove armband in Qatar, where same-sex relationships are illegal.
Getty
Fans held up posters of Ozil during Germany games
German fans were seen trying to take the posters away
And shouting to those who hold them
And the footage was not well received by German fans, who were seen shouting at those holding up posters of their former player after they were knocked out of the World Cup.
Ozil was part of the German squad that won the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and scored 23 goals in 92 appearances for the country.
But the German-born striker – who is a third-generation Turkish-German – hasn’t played for his country since the 2018 World Cup, announcing his retirement shortly after Germany’s disappointing exit in the Champions League phase. groups in Russia.
The 34-year-old German career ended in controversy after meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had been accused of human rights abuses.
AFP
Ozil was caught in the crossfire in Qatar
Ozil also took aim at former DFB chairman Reinhard Grindel, saying: “People with racially discriminatory backgrounds should not be allowed to work in the biggest football federation in the world which has players from families with double inheritance.
“Attitudes like theirs just don’t reflect the players they are meant to represent. In the eyes of Grindel and his supporters, I am German when we win but I am an immigrant when we lose. »
Speaking last year, Ozil said: “I wish the German national team success, but I will never play for them again.”
Germany were knocked out of the World Cup group stage for the second time in a row, with their 4-2 win over Costa Rica not enough to secure one of the two group spots E.
