TONI KROOS has slammed fans who branded him a ‘Nazi’ for criticising Mesut Ozil’s racism claims.
Fenerbahce midfielder Ozil quit the German national team in 2018 and stated that ‘racism and disrespect’ had hindered his international career due to his Turkish heritage.
Mesut Ozil and Toni Kroos spent several years together in the German national teamCredit: Action Images – Reuters
Some in German football were unhappy with Ozil’s links to Turkish President Recep ErdoganCredit: AFP
In reply, Kroos branded the allegations ‘nonsense’ and insisted there was no such racism in the team.
But that led to a reaction from fans of Ozil and the Real Madrid star detailed how his ‘blonde hair and blue eyes’ led to serious insults.
Kroos told reporters, via Marca: “After the 2018 World Cup I said that I did not like the retirement of Mesut Ozil and the manner in which he did it.
“And then I was directly a Nazi for a lot of people: blond, blue eyes…everything fit for a lot of people.
“I managed to overcome it, anyone can hide behind a fake profile and then insult other people with almost no problem.”
Before Germany’s disastrous World Cup campaign in Russia, Ozil was criticised by many in the country for meeting Turkish president Recep Erdogan.
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Mesut was criticised for the photo – and rightly so. Nevertheless, he was absolutely supported by the leadership and the team.
Toni Kroos
The reaction contributed to the player quitting the team after their group-stage exit.
At the time, Kroos insisted that the way Ozil’s international retirement had been handled by German football bosses was poor – but dismissed his racism claims.
The 31-year-old told Bild in August 2018: “The manner of his retirement was not OK.
“The proportion that is properly addressed in his statement is unfortunately overshadowed by the much higher proportion of nonsense.
“I think that he knows that racism does not exist within the national team and the German FA. On the contrary, we are always committed to diversity and integration.
“Mesut was criticised for the photo – and rightly so. And he missed the chance to explain himself. Nevertheless, he was absolutely supported by the leadership and the team.
“Later he was – as others were – criticised for the performance at the World Cup. The type of criticism was certainly not always at a good level – but then you have to go through as a player.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
