The agent of Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil has hit out at Germany trio Manuel Neuer, Toni Kroos and Thomas Muller over their comments in the wake of his client's retirement from international football.
Ozil courted controversy with an explosive retirement statement in July, accusing the German football association of failing to protect him from racism during the fallout of his picture with controversial Turkish president Recep Erdogan.
Neuer, Kroos and Muller all spoke out against Ozil's accusations, and agent Erkut Sogut has suggested that their comments prove that they are "either naive or scheming".
"Neuer indirectly accused Mesut of not having worn the German jersey with pride. This is unacceptable. Muller did not understand the whole discussion. And Kroos, as a seasoned national team player, should explain what he means by 'nonsense'," Sogut told German magazine 11Freunde.
"There are only two explanations: they are either naive or scheming. [Manager Joachim] Low defends himself against an accusation that has never actually been made: Mesut has not been racially abused from within the team but from the midst of German society. The German football association should have been more protective in this case.
"Mesut did not make any mistakes. That's how it stays. It is just a matter of respect and courtesy to agree to meet the president of Turkey when he requests it. The two of them have met regularly over the past eight years. It has never been a problem before for the German public."
Ozil won 92 caps for Germany during a nine-year international career, helping his country to the 2014 World Cup crown.
Barney Corkhill
