Sad Day for Ozil and Germany

The Beginning of the End

Did Ozil’s end really begin just one month before the World Cup?  Certainly no one could have foreseen Ozil’s unceremonious parting with The German National Team four years ago when Germany lifted the Cup.  Ozil first shone for Germany at the 2010 World Cup where they finished third.  Shortly after Ozil rocketed to stardom with a transfer to giants Real Madrid, where he established himself as the assist king to Christiano Ronaldo.  In 2014 he played an integral part in Germany coming back to the greatest sporting event on Earth to win the tournament.  And in the build up to the 2018 World cup Ozil was again instrumental in helping Germany qualify for the tournament with an undefeated record.  At 29 years of age, Ozil was felt to be in his prime and much was expected of him in Russia.  But in the end Germany fell short, losing group stage games to Mexico and South Korea, and barely squeaking past Sweden.  The unthinkable had materialized with Germany being knocked out in the group stages, and Germany as a nation needed an explanation, someone to blame.  Joachim Low was the obvious target, and he has taken his share of the criticism, much of it around team selection including his loyalty to Mesut Ozil.  But Ozil too had set himself up nicely as a target to share the disfavour of the German public.

Mesut Ozil had a down season with Arsenal leading up to the World Cup.  A divisive figure at the best of times, considered a game changer by some and a non starter for others, the 2017/18 season gave his critics ample area to focus.   Regardless, Joachim Low started Mesut Ozil in Germany’s first game of the World Cup against Mexico.  And although the Germans dominated possession and outshot their opponents almost two to one, Ozil did not figure prominently.  Ozil was on the bench for the narrow victory against Sweden, but his replacement, Julian Draxler, had not shown himself capable either and was withdrawn early in the second half.  Ozil started the third match against South Korea, but again went missing, and the loss to the tiny Asian country was a national embarrassment.

Which brings us back to the month before the World Cup began.

One Month before the World Cup Started

In mid May President Erdogan of Turkey was in London where he met with Mesut Ozil, Ilkay Gundogan, and Cenk Tosun.  The picture below shows Ozil holding his Arsenal Jersey with Erdogan, and although there were no words to suggest Ozil’s endorsement of Erdogan’s re-election bid, it is easy to understand how the gesture could elicit political undertones.
Embed from Getty Images

The meeting was scrutinized by the German media, with many critics stating that Mesut Ozil and Ilkay Gundogan should clarify the situation.  Many even stated that Ozil should not take part in the World Cup over the meeting.  Probably the highest profile figure was the manager for Die Mannschaft, Oliver Bierhoff, who felt Ozil should not have gone to the World Cup.

It is difficult to separate politics from other parts of life, and celebrities must be aware of the influence they wield.  Certainly the German FA does not separate football from politics, with their president Reinhard Grindel recently demanding an apology from Mesut Ozil for his pre World Cup meeting with President Erdogan.   The German FA has declared quite clearly that the players for the national team must share the political views of Germany, and appearing to support someone who Germany does not support is unacceptable.  Of course, had Mesut Ozil provided scintillating performances for Germany at the World Cup and brought the Cup to Germany it is unlikely we would have seen any of this fallout.  This can be stated with confidence, because these demands could have been made prior to the World Cup, but weren’t.

The Nail in the Coffin

It is difficult to determine who is to blame here.  Both sides have made mistakes.  Ozil should have recognized the potential political suicide of meeting with Erdogan.  The President of Turkey is alleged to have covered up corruption, imprisoned journalists and officers, been involved in significant illegal activities, assist ISIS, and be worth an unexplainably staggering amount, and has somehow remained in power for 15 years.  With his re-election bid in progress, Ozil must have foreseen how this was going to look, right?  His explanation that he was respecting the head office of the country of his family was reasonable, but given the man that Erdogan is could the German FA ignore Ozil and Gundogan’s association with him?

As for the German FA, why let Ozil play in the World Cup if they felt so strongly?  The optics of reprimanding the player after the fact, after a dismal team/individual performance is insidious at best.  They let it go before the World Cup, and probably should have let sleeping dogs lie.  After Germany’s and Ozil’s poor performance at the World Cup, the German FA must have known going after him now would just look like a manhunt, right?

But if the criticism of his country for his poor on field performances wasn’t enough, certainly the pressure from Reinhard Grindel was.  And with that Mesut Ozil has chosen to retire from international duty with Germany.  Perhaps the timing wasn’t the worst as truthfully this was probably Ozil’s last World Cup regardless, but it is the manner in which he has bowed out that is the real shame.  After three World Cups with Germany in which he played such an important role, he should have left Die Mannschaft on his own terms, with a hero’s salute, not under the vail of disrespect and a scapegoat.  It is unclear whether Ozil’s blunder had true political motivations, but I doubt this was the case.  I think it was the blunder of a young footballer who hadn’t even considered the implications.  After all, it had nothing to do with football.  But heaped on top of the criticism he was already dealing with, he had enough.  I hope that the Deutsch Fussball Bund will recognize this sooner than later and give Ozil the send off he deserves.

Many will say it was the right time for Mesut Ozil to retire regardless of political misgivings, but Arsenal fans will hope that Ozil can get back to his best and prove them wrong!