Ozil defends photo with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Prior to the World Cup, Mesut Ozil insists the picture of him posing with Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was not a political statement. At the fund raising event, Ozil and Ilkay Gundogan met Erdogan in London at a fundraising event. Following Germany’s early exit from the World Cup, the photograph caused controversy and team boss Oliver Bierhoff suggested Ozil should have been dropped after his failure to clear up the Erdogan meeting. Ozil has taken to social media to defend himself. In a lengthy post on his Twitter account, the 29-year-old says: “The past couple of weeks have given me time to reflect, and time to think over the events of the last few months. Consequently, I want to share my thoughts and feelings about what has happened. Like many people, my ancestry traces back to more than one country. Whilst I grew up in Germany, my family background has its roots firmly based in Turkey. “I have two hearts, one German and one Turkish. During my childhood, my mother taught me to always be respectful and to never forget where I came from, and these are still values that I think about to this day. In May, I