German FA rebukes Ozil for Erdogan photo
Not known for putting himself out there, the Mannschaft star recently posed for a picture with controversial Turkish president Reccep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been repeatedly lambasted for authoritarian tendencies and suppressing a number of civil rights in his homeland.
Ozil was in the picture alongside fellow Turkish-born German Ilkay Gundogan, as well as Everton star Cenk Tosun.
They were condemned by DFB chief Reinhard Grindel, who claimed that the German federation didn’t stand for the same values as Erdogan.
"The DFB of course respects the special situation for our players with migrant backgrounds, but football and the DFB stands for values that Mr. Erdogan does not sufficiently respect," Grindel said.
"Therefore, it is not a good thing that our internationals have let themselves be exploited for his election campaign stunt. It certainly hasn't helped the DFB's integration efforts."
Embarrassingly, both Ozil and Gungodan are expected to be named in Germany’s preliminary squad for the upcoming World Cup in Russia.