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Journalism of Courage
Sania Mirza backed German midfielder Mesut Ozil in stating that racism “should not and will not be accepted under any circumstance.” Ozil, in a series of tweets, put out a statement in which he declared his retirement from the German national team. “I used to wear the German shirt with such pride and excitement, but now I don’t. The decision has been extremely difficult to make because I have always given everything for my teammates, the coaching staff and the good people of Germany. But when high-ranking DFB officials treat me as they did, disrespect my Turkish roots and selfishly turn me into political propaganda, then enough is enough,” he said.
Mesut Ozil and his German team-mate Ilkay Gundogan, both of whom trace their roots to Turkey, were widely condemned by German politicians and top-ranking officials of the nation’s Football Federation when they were photographed with Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Ozil in his statement stated that the meeting was not political and only an acknowledgment of his family’s country.
He also said that he is being unfairly targetted because it is Turkey and that he is Muslim. He also stated that those elements in the media and politicians and the fans that abused him using his Turkish background “represent a Germany of the past, a Germany that is not open to new cultures and a Germany that I am not proud of.”
