Germany midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has defended his international teammate Mesut Ozil's decision to retire from Joachim Low's squad amid claims of racism towards the 29-year-old.
Both players, who share Turkish roots, were criticised before the World Cup for meeting with controversial Turkish president Recep Erdogan.
In the wake of what Ozil described as "racism and disrespect" from fans and the Germany setup itself, he decided that he could no longer play for Die Mannschaft, leaving Gundogan angry that the situation escalated as far as it did.
"Was the affair racially motivated? You're telling me! Is it not racism when a German politician writes on Facebook: 'The German national football team: 25 Germans and two goat fuckers?'," Gundogan told reporters.
"That's something you have to call racism. Nevertheless, that does not mean that all people in Germany are racists - not at all. Almost all my life I have had good experiences in Germany. I want to say that very clearly here. But there are people who have politically used the resulting photo for themselves. And in this context, the line to racism was partially crossed.
"In sporting terms, I think Mesut's resignation is a pity. He did a lot for German football. It's a loss for the team. Mesut has also done a lot for me personally. He was one of the reasons why I wanted to play for Germany. He has paved the way for me. So I would have wished that he would get a better, deserved goodbye. However, one has to say that it was Mesut's decision to go that way - with all the consequences. I would have done it differently - because I'm different."
Germany were eliminated at the group stage of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, losing to South Korea and Mexico in Group F.
Matthew Jones
