FIFA World Cup 2022: Qatari fans clap back at Germany by recalling Mesut Özil
Qatari fans hit back at German national football team
Germany and Spain locked horns in a Group E encounter on Sunday which ended all square after a pulsating 90 minutes. While the game was devoid of any controversy, the sidelines gave rise to another topic point after Qatari fans clapped back at the German football team and federation for its hypocrisy and woke gestures.
The Qatari fans in the stands hit back at Germany by holding photos of former German international MesutÖzil. The photos were in a response tothe German football teamcovering their mouths during the match against Japan in protest over the ban of ‘One love armbands’ by FIFA.
The Qatari fans were reminding the Deutsch football team that it never stood for its own player who was made a scapegoat for the teams'insipid show at the 2018 event in Russia. Germany suffered a group-stage exit at the tournament but it wasÖzil who was targetted for the setback.
BothÖziland his teammateIlkay Gündogan had posed for a photograph with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan before the start of the 2018 WC. Afterwards,Özil became the centre of controversy as the German media, public and the federation hounded him.
Read more: Mesut Ozil in Arsenal: Guilty for speaking out or not the same footballer anymore?
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Özil quit the German national team following the tournamentciting 'racism' and 'disrespect' as the reason."I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose,"Özil said famously, at the time.
"When high-ranking DFB officials treat me as they did, disrespect my Turkish roots and selfishly turn me into political propaganda, then enough is enough," saidÖzil in a statement at the time.
"This is not why I play football, and I will not sit back and do nothing about it. Racism should never, ever be accepted," he added.
At the time, the former Arsenal player was advised bythe upper hierarchy of German football to not mix politics with the game. However, the same federation is now willing to break the rules set by FIFA and the host country to further its agenda.
Read more:Germany players cover mouth in protest over ‘One love armbands' ban by FIFA
After German players covered their mouths during the photo, the German FA released a statement saying,“We wanted to use our captain’s armband to take a stand for values that we hold in the Germany national team: diversity and mutual respect.”
“Together with other nations, we wanted our voice to be heard. It wasn’t about making a political statement – human rights are non-negotiable. That should be taken for granted, but it still isn’t the case. That’s why this message is so important to us. Denying us the armband is the same as denying us a voice. We stand by our position,” it added.
(With inputs from agencies)
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