Former Manchester City midfielder, Yaya Toure has disapproved of Mesut Ozil recent criticism of the Chinese government.
The former Germany international openly criticized the Chinese government for their reported treatment of the Muslim minority in the country.
Ozil’s criticism came at a cost as the Chinese TV stations refused to air Arsenal’s game against Manchester City to show their disdain for his comments and he was branded “blind” and “misled”.
Toure who has just finished a brief spell in China has spoken on the issue and insisted that Ozil was in the wrong and he should have just focused on playing his football.
Toure added that footballers have to avoid meddling in political issues. His stand was the same as Arsenal who released a statement clarifying that they would always remain neutral to political issues.
“Footballers have to stay with football and politicians to politics because you cannot be involved with this kind of things because it’s going to attract a lot of problems and a lot of things,” Toure said in an interview with The Associated Press per FoxSports. “As a Muslim it is complicated and it is his choice. He’s been doing his comments but I think he was wrong to say that.”
This is not the first time Ozil has been in the limelight because of a political issue, he was also in the news after he posed for pictures with Turkey’s president a while back.
Say what you want Mesut. Spice things up 🙂
Footballers and Managers are sooo boring.
All their interviews are soooo bland.
They never say anything we don’t already know.
They should pay us a hundred quid a game to watch them play so bad,
and pay us 50 quid every time they give another dull interview.
We see all the political and social issues on TV and online all the time.
Its healthy to have robust debate. We learn more.
I don’t care if we lose the Chinese or USA market.
Just means the players get paid 3 mill less a year.
They get paid too much any way.
Won’t affect my pocket.
Ticket prices would plummet to 10 quid max…good idea eh 🙂
Go on Mesut talk up a storm.
More interesting than the football that’s for sure.
OT..Thank you, Aston Villa and well done 🥳👍
This scoreline is called “no mercy.”
Did they sell the match or something?
Just a bunch of kids played, Gily… but I don’t care, it’s still a Liverpool XI!! 😄👍
If talking about what is worrying you, what affects people you love and care for, about how to save humanity is politics, then let’s us all talk about politics now.
…typos leave me alone!
Imagine the BS. So cause he’s a footballer, he’s not allowed to speak up against Injustice?
Just look at how a simple post Ozil made is causing ripples on the net. Imagine the level of awareness it’ll spring if other star footballers constantly speak against injustice.
Footballers are not allowed to defend other weak people just because they are footballers?
He’s getting paid by the Chinese anyway so it’s not a surprise toure is saying crap
It is sad that we have now reached a point where footballers cannot speak up against injustice. Would the reaction had been the same if Ozil had condemned an African country over its treatment of Muslims? Of course not. What is going on here is not the separation of politics from sports. It is the case of everyone being scared of losing economic opportunities for stepping on the wrong side of China’s feelings. China has become so rich and powerful that even western societies are adjusting their views when it comes to China’s behavior. Do not blame Ozil for missing football with politics. It has always been done. Unfortunately, those who are actually bold enough to condemn China’s behavior are the ones who stand to lose while the cowards reap economic benefits. I guess money is more important than Chinese Muslims.
I wonder when Yaya Toure learnt to separate football from politics. When the civil war in Ivory Coast was going on, Yaya Toure and other footballers from Ivory Coast got involved and spoke their minds in efforts to end the war. I guess there was no financial consequences for attacking Ivory Coast compared to China. I like you my brother Yaya but you would have been better keeping quiet, more especially as people expect you to take sides with Ozil as a fellow Muslim.