- Germany Football Association deny racism allegation by former international Mesut Ozil
- The midfielder hanged his national team boots after a disappointing outing at the 2018 World Cup in Russia
- However, the FA admit they should have done better in protecting the 2014 World Cup winner from abuse
Germany FA have distanced themselves from the racism allegation levied against them by Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil.
The 29-year-old announced his retirement from the national team after being criticised by German fans over their disappointing outing in Russia.
Although the football association admitted that they didn't do enough to protect the former Real Madrid star from angry fans.
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While hanging his boot, the 2014 FIFA World Cup winner claimed that there's "racism and disrespect" within German football.
He also revealed that he gets numerous hate mail and threats blaming him for Germany's disappointing World Cup outing.
However, the DFB said in their counter statement that they: "regrets the departure of Mesut Ozil from the national team."
It added in a statement: "We emphatically reject the DFB being linked to racism. The DFB has been very involved in integration work in Germany for many years."
The 29-year-old received a lot of backlash from the DFB and the German media after being photographed with controversial Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a London event in May.
And more of the criticism came after Germany were knocked out of the World Cup in the group stages.
The DFB conceded it had not handled the matter well, adding: "It is regrettable that Mesut Ozil felt that he had not been sufficiently protected as a target of racist slogans."
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It stressed its commitment to equality, saying: "The DFB stands for diversity, from the representatives at the top to the boundless, day-to-day dedication of people at the base."
The midfielder has joined his Gunners teammates in Singapore as they commence their preseason tour under new manager Unai Emery.
NAIJ.com previously reported that Mesut Ozil announced his retire from international football with immediate effect, hitting out at what he described as unfair discrimination what came with his meeting with the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan in May 2018.
Ozil was part of the Germany squad that exited the World Cup in Russia at the group stage and was the object of criticism for his performances as well as his meeting with Erdogan, who has been accused of human rights abuses, the Guardian reports.
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Source: Naija.ng
