Mesut Ozil banned from returning to ex-club for ‘far right links and controversial tattoo’ | Football | Sport
Mesut Ozil has reportedly been banned from making a return to his former club because of his alleged political views. The former Arsenal and Real Madrid playmaker made over 600 career appearances and was a World Cup winner with Germany.
Ozil decided to hang up his boots two years ago, having last featured for Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir. Even though he was born and raised in Germany, Ozil has long held an affiliation with Turkey, having been born to parents of Turkish descent.
So much so, since retiring from Football, Ozil has taken the surprise move to pursue a career in Turkish politics. Just last month Ozil was named on the ruling AK Party’s Central Decision and Management Board, which is overseen by the country’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Ozil and the Turkish leader have long held a strong relationship, with Erdogan the best man at the ex-footballer’s wedding held in Istanbul six years ago. Prior to that, Ozil had retired from the German national team following criticism he received after meeting with Erdogan in London while he was on the books of Premier League side Arsenal.
Critics of the Turkish leader say he’s turned the country into an autocracy, which during his time as leader has eroded people’s rights. And it’s his links to Erdogan – as well as other alleged political affiliations – that have led to him not being welcomed back for a testimational match at former club Werder Bremen.
Diego Ribas, who Ozil played with at Bremen, is due to have a tribute match, but the Bundesliga club decided not to invite him. As per a report from German outlet Bild, Werder Bremen said: “We have agreed with Diego not to invite Mesut due to his recent actions, which do not represent the club’s values.”
It comes not only after Ozil joined Erdogan’s party in Turkey, but also following a photograph that was shared online that appeared to show a tattoo resembling the logo of a far-right group. The tat, which depicts a grey wolf and a flag with three crescent moons, has a striking resemblance to the Grey Wolves group. Ozil was asked by The Telegraph if the tattoo was inspired by the group’s logo, to which he didn’t respond.
The organisation are banned in several countries because of their extreme views associated with far-right extremism, ultra-nationalism and anti-Semitism. France and Austria are just two of the central European nations to have outlawed the Grey Wolves’ existence.
Turkish international Merih Demiral has also been linked to the group, with the Al-Ahli defender having come under criticism at last year’s European Championship for making the wolf symbol after scoring a goal. He was handed a two-match ban for the offence.
