Mesut Özil, left, hands a shirt over to Recep Tayyip Erdogan on May 13, during Erdogan's visit to the UK prior to the presidential election in Turkey. This photograph was criticized in Germany as demonstrating a dual loyalty to both countries, which Özil does not deny.
UPDATE: Mesut Özil spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the phone Monday after he quit Germany's national team, the Turkish leader told reporters in parliament on Tuesday (today). Erdogan praised Özil's decision to quit.
By Carolyn Yeager
LAST WEEK, A TURKISH PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLER who was born in Germany but has been living in England earning a huge salary under contract for the English club Arsenal – but also is one of the top players on the German National soccer team – accused Germany of racism and announced he would no longer play on its national team.
At the same time in The Netherlands, the Dutch Foreign Minister aroused a storm of criticism over his comments about the failure of multicultural societies. “Give me an example of a multiethnic, multicultural society, where the indigenous population still live … where they live in a peaceful, societal union,” he said to a gathering in The Hague. “I don’t know of any.”
