Ozil cited the unfair criticism he received following Germany's poor performance that saw them crash out of the just concluded RUSSIA 2018 FIFA WORLD CUP at group stage.
Ozil - a Turkish by birth also cited the racial criticism
he received for posing with controversial Turkey President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a photo.
The Turkish-born Germany international claims that the way he has been treated by the German football association makes him "no longer want to wear the German national team shirt."
Ozil announced the decision in the third part of a lengthy statement released on his Twitter account, with the first part detailing the reason behind his controversial photograph with Turkey president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the second update criticising how the media and sponsors reacted to the incident.
DFB president Reinhard Grindel was the focus of the third and final part of the statement, as Ozil hit out at the official, claiming:
"I will no longer stand for being a scapegoat for his incompetence and inability to do his job properly."Ozil detailed how Grindel attempted to benefit from the fall-out of the player's meeting with Erdogan, aiming to use it as a means to express his own political views and berate Ozil in the process. He accused Grindel of racism, stating that "I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose."
As well as Grindel, the 29-year-old highlighted the actions of politician Bernd Holzhauer who called Ozil a "goat-f***er" and Chief of German Theatre Werner Steer who wished for the footballer to "p*** back to Anatolia."
The way Ozil has been treated by German media, politicians and especially the DFB has caused him to make the "difficult decision" to announce his international retirement, saying that:
"I now feel unwanted and think that what I have achieved since my international debut in 2009 has been forgotten."In those nine years, Ozil has played 92 times for his country, scoring 23 goals. He was part of the side that lifted the 2014 World Cup and also helped Germany to the semi-finals of the 2012 and 2016 European Championships and was named national team player of the year five times.
The past couple of weeks have given me time to reflect, and time to think over the events of the last few months. Consequently, I want to share my thoughts and feelings about what has happened. pic.twitter.com/WpWrlHxx74— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) July 22, 2018
II / III pic.twitter.com/Jwqv76jkmd— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) July 22, 2018
III / III pic.twitter.com/c8aTzYOhWU— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) July 22, 2018
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