Germany makes Mesut Özil the scapegoat for World Cup exit

BERLIN - Associated Press

Same coach, same team manager, same president.

And yet after almost two weeks of reflection, the German soccer federation (DFB) appears to have decided midfielder Mesut Özil is the main culprit for the team’s shock early World Cup exit.

Team manager Oliver Bierhoff wondered in a newspaper interview if Özil should even have been taken to the tournament in Russia, while DFB president Reinhard Grindel followed up by demanding the player provide an "answer."

Joachim Löw has not commented on the matter since deciding to stay on as coach.

Özil, long a key player for Löw, has been in the firing line since he and national teammate İlkay Gündoğan posed for photos with Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in May. Both German-born players have Turkish roots.

While Gündoğan attempted to distance himself from the incident in Britain, Özil has maintained his silence - antagonizing the same people who said the issue had been dealt with before the World Cup.

"Only DFB officials can come up with the idea that a photo with Erdoğan is responsible for a defeat against the football-giants of South Korea," North Rhine-Westphalia minister president Armin Laschet said on Twitter.

Following Germany’s first-round exit, Bierhoff told newspaper Die Welt it might have been better to omit Özil from the tournament.

Bierhoff pulled back after criticism, saying it was a misunderstanding and he did not intend to single out any player for the team’s failure.

But Grindel kept the issue alive, telling the latest edition of Kicker magazine: "It’s true that Mesut has not commented yet. That has disappointed a lot of fans because they have questions and expect an answer. They are right to expect this answer. That’s why it’s totally clear for me that Mesut should speak on the issue."

Grindel has received just as much criticism as Bierhoff did. The Berliner Zeitung newspaper accused the DFB president of "throwing oil on the fire to shine a good light on himself."

The DFB itself arguably made the Erdoğan-photo affair worse with its public admonishment of Gündoğan and Özil. Grindel was scathing in his criticism of the players, who were summoned for talks.

Now Grindel says, "We have to wait for the sporting analysis and see whether Joachim Löw still counts on him."

Özil has been one of Germany’s standout players since starring at the 2010 World Cup. His performances earned a switch from Schalke to Real Madrid. He has made 92 appearances for Germany, contributing 23 goals from midfield.

Özil was not the only player to underperform in Russia, where defending champion Germany was knocked out after defeats to Mexico and South Korea. But his performances have come under the most scrutiny because of the Erdoğan photos and because of his own high profile within the team.

"He and Gündoğan suffered from what happened before the World Cup because they have been vindicated in Germany," Özil’s former Arsenal coach, Arsene Wenger, told Bein Sports.

Gündoğan and Özil were whistled by German fans during matches, while both have been subjected to abuse off the pitch, too.

German comedian Oliver Pocher impersonated Özil with large fake eyes, saying he was going "home" on vacation and listing off the Turkish cities he was going to visit before returning.

Far-right politicians have been slating the player, while journalist Claus Strunz said "Mesut Özil does not belong to Germany" after noting he does not sing the German anthem.

"No DFB official has condemned the racist comments against Özil," the Schwaebische Zeitung newspaper said.

Özil’s father, Mustafa, told the Bild tabloid that Bierhoff’s statements were "an affront. In my opinion they only serve to save one’s own skin."

Mustafa Özil, who fell out with his son in 2013, suggested a racial motive for the attacks.

"Unfortunately there are still people in the German population who have reservations and prejudices against us of Turkish descent," he said.

"In Mesut’s place I’d resign (from the Germany team). But that’s just my personal opinion."