German footballer Mesut Özil announces retirement from international football over 'racism'

On Sunday, German footballer Mesut Özil announced retiring from international football via his official Twitter handle. The 29-year-old gave racism as the reason for his retirement.

Özil and his international teammate İlkay Gündoğan, who are of Turkish origin, met the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in London in May. The two players took a photo with Erdoğan, after which, many Germans reportedly booed the players prior to this year's FIFA Football World Cup in Russia. Özil said that he received hate mail and threats after meeting the Turkish president.

In his tweets, Özil said, "It is with a heavy heart and after much consideration that because of recent events I will no longer be playing for Germany at international level whilst I have this feeling of racism and disrespect. I used to wear the German shirt with such pride and excitement, but now I don't. I feel unwanted and think that what I have achieved since my international debut in 2009 has been forgotten."

Speaking about his meeting with the Turkish president, Özil said, "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 [...] For me, having a picture with President Erdoğan wasn't about politics or elections, it was about me respecting the highest office of my family's country". Referring to the German football association's president, Reinhard Grindel, Özil said, "In the eyes of Grindel and his supporters, I am German when we win but I am an immigrant when we lose."

Özil made his international debut on August 12, 2009, playing against Azerbaijan. Since then, he has featured in 92 matches for Germany, scoring 23 goals. Özil was part of 2014's World Cup winning squad.

, the German football association Deutscher Fußball-Bund said in a statement. It also said,

Özil's last match for Germany was against South Korea in this year's FIFA World Cup, which ended in a 2–0 defeat for Germany, as the 2014 winners failed to qualify for the knockout phase.