Bayern president accuses Mesut Özil of using racism as a distraction | OneFootball

Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has accused Mesut Özil of using racism as a distraction from his poor performances following his retirement from the Germany national team.

The 29-year-old has been heavily-criticised in his homeland following Germany’s disastrous World Cup but claimed he has been made a scapegoat for the country’s failure and been the target of racial abuse.

Hoeness insists Özil should not have been called up to the World Cup squad for the summer tournament in Russia after hinting his displays for Arsenal were not good enough.

Hoeness has been one of the playmaker’s biggest critics and believes the ‘whole drama’ could have been avoided had Germany boss Joachim Löw paid more attention to Özil’s supposed dip in form in the Premier League.

“Ozil has cleverly brought racism into the game to distract attention from the fact that he has not played football well for a long time,” Hoeness told Sky Sports.

“I found it impossible that the DFB president had to get involved to solve the Ozil and Gundogan issue.

“Özil should have been forced to give an explanation, that was no small matter. He is a well-marketed product, who is represented by his agency much better than he is as a player.

“Joachim Low should have gone to Arsenal more often and had a look at him. He probably would not have taken him to the World Cup for sporting reasons, and then we would have been spared the whole drama.”