World Cup, Ozil and those photos shown by Qatar fans

Mesut Ozil will arrive in Qatar in the next few days to attend the World Cup, on a private basis. His name was mentioned during last Sunday’s match between Germany and Spain. Qatari fans showed photos and drawings of the former German international, covering their mouths. A response to the gesture of the Germany players who, before making their debut with Japan, posed in the ritual photo with their mouths covered to protest against Fifa’s ban on the rainbow band. Why Ozil? Because he left the national team after becoming a target of racist abuse and a scapegoat for Germany’s elimination from the 2018 World Cup.

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Ozil, the son of Turkish immigrants, blamed the German federation, fans and local media for their treatment of people with Turkish ancestry. “I’m German when we win, but I’m an immigrant when we lose,” he said at the time. The case began even before the World Cup, when Ozil and Gundogan posed together with Turkish President Erdogan. Ozil, however, complained that he too was marginalized because he had taken a stand against the persecution of Uyghur Muslims in China. Four years later, the former Arsenal player, who now plays for Basaksehir, indirectly returns to the scene. The protest of the Qatari fans, it is said coordinated from above, wanted to expose the alleged hypocrisy of the West: a Germany that is now accusing Qatar of violating human rights after having dismissed Ozil for his stances.