Opinion: Germany players not supporting Mesut Ozil is shocking

Mesut Ozil announced his retirement from international football with a heartfelt message regarding racism.

Racism is still a prevalent issue in football. Although we focus on the beautiful game, we can never consider it to be perfect until injustice is kicked out completely. Mesut Ozil has taken a step towards this.

He left the German national team, due to racist comments from the fans and media amid his family connection to Turkey. Before the tournament, he was pictured with Turkish president Erdogan.

He explained everything on his Twitter account, but here is the closing statement. This struck a chord with many fans across the globe, as the game is supposed to bring people of all cultures together.

There is a clear lack of unity.

This post isn’t going to get into the politics of the situation, I’m in no position to speak about this. But one thing I have noticed is, the lack of support from Ozil’s international teammates.

Although I’m sure the case is different on a personal level, social media is the perfect opportunity for the stars to let fans know that actually, they do stand with Mesut Ozil on this issue.

I’m sure the German stars are completely against the discrimination in which Ozil faced, as he befriended many of them during his time as a Germany player.

All it would have taken, is one Germany player to come out and speak about the racist side to Ozil’s departure, rather than the departure itself.

Let’s hope this has a chain reaction.

Ozil has one of the biggest pedigrees in world football, with fans of many different cultures following him. His decision to retire from international football has caused plenty of discussion, which is healthy for the future of football.

I’m sure there are plenty of other cases of racism in football. The likes of Rhian Brewster and Yaya Toure have also spoken about the issue recently, so it’s good to see the topic being addressed.

I for one hope this has a domino effect on players, and gives them the confidence to speak out about any racist issues they have endured.

Football is a game for the world, a world in which a multitude of cultures exist. No player should feel discriminated against for their background.

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So I say, well done to Mesut Ozil. It was a bold decision, but one which will benefit the social aspect of football.