‘This topic is over’ - Germany coach Joachim Low dismisses the prospect of Mesut Özil ending international exile
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Joachim Low has firmly shut the door on the possibility of Mesut Özil returning to the German national team, stating that, “for the team, this topic is over”.
While the manager said he has yet to hold a proper conversation with Özil about the issue and will seek one over the next week, he insisted the Arsenal star “won’t be coming back”.
Özil stunningly quit international football in the wake of Germany's shock first-round World Cup exit and a controversial photo taken with Turkish president Recep Erdogan, claiming he had been made a scapegoat for the team's failure and accusing the national federation of “racism and disrespect”.
The incident has provoked a huge debate about German society and the identity of the national team within it, given it had previously been seen as a successful example of integration. Just as significantly, it has come at a time when Germany are competing against Turkey for the right to host the 2024 European Championship, with the vote to be decided on 27 September.
A summer of back-and-forth that saw general manager Olivier Bierhoff admit the national side had “made mistakes” over the issue appeared to definitively end on Wednesday, however, as Low unequivocally ruled out a return or any more olive branches on the eve of Germany’s opening Uefa Nations League match against new world champions France in Munich.
“Everything has been said,” Low insisted. “He’s said he’s going to step down but I haven’t had a conversation with him. I’ll try to talk to him next week. He was a really important player for us but he said he won’t be coming back.
"There has never been any form of racism in our team, so it’s not a topic at all. The DFB [German federation] are against any sort of racism or discrimination, and we have followed this approach for years.
“He’s said he’s going to step down. Are there any questions open? He’s said he doesn’t want to play, he told us his thoughts, I don’t know why we should we keep talking about it. He was part of the team for a long time but not anymore. For this team it’s over and he’s not part of our routine anymore.”
Toni Kroos, meanwhile, denied that the Özil controversy reflected any greater problems in German football, and reiterated the team has been a positive example of integration.
“I don’t think it says anything about German football," the Real Madrid midfielder said. "We’ve shown the absolute opposite of what has been claimed. It’s a unique and special situation with Mesut but I’ve said, when it comes to what was said about the DFB and the president, I totally don’t agree with that.
"What has been said about the DFB and the president is not the case. I totally reject that. The team has been a good role model for the entire society and shown how multiculturalism works. All players can be welcome in our team.”
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