News24
11 Apr 2019, 02:42 GMT+10
Berlin - Germany technical director Oliver Bierhoff has admitted he made mistakes in the scandal surrounding Mesut Ozil's international retirement last summer.
"Things panned out badly and I am very sorry about that," said Bierhoff in an interview published on Wednesday on the website of the German weekly newspaper .
Ozil retired from international duty after Germany's World Cup debacle last June, sparking a bitter debate over racism in German football.
In the build-up to the tournament, the Arsenal midfielder was heavily criticised for appearing in a photograph alongside Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
A German of Turkish descent, Ozil's place in the team was the subject of fierce debate during the tournament, after which he penned an explosive resignation letter accusing the German football federation (DFB) and its president Reinhard Grindel of structural racism.
"To Grindel and his followers, I am a German when we win and a migrant when we lose," wrote Ozil.
Technical director Bierhoff was widely criticised for giving an interview shortly after the tournament in which he implied that Ozil should have been dropped from the team.
In an interview with this week's edition of Die Zeit, Bierhoff admitted that he had slipped up.
"A lot of mistakes were made, including by me," he said.
"In the end, nobody came out of it looking good."
Bierhoff said he regretted that Ozil had not agreed to a clear-the-air meeting in the wake of his resignation.
He also admitted the decision to leave Manchester City star Leroy Sane out of the World Cup squad had been an error.
"We wanted to make a statement to the players who we had picked, to give them energy and strengthen the cohesion of the group," he said.
"We perhaps underestimated how much talk would be about the dropped player," he went on, adding that he and coach Joachim Loew had "misjudged the group dynamic within the squad".
Bierhoff's comments come just a week after Grindel, the DFB president whom Ozil had accused of racism, was forced to step down over his acceptance of a luxury watch.
Yet the former AC Milan striker said that he had no intention of entering the running to succeed Grindel as president.
"I have a wonderful and exciting job which I see as a huge challenge," he said.
Get a daily dose of Irish Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Irish Sun.
More InformationWASHINGTON, DC - U.S. President Donald Trump how bowed to pro-Israel elements in his administration and Congress, announcing that the...
ZURICH, Switzerland: The Swiss National Bank (SNB) lowered its key interest rate to zero percent on June 19 to respond to falling inflation,...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The U.S. government is preparing to revise its influential dietary advice, with a significant shift: dropping the...
ZURICH, Switzerland: The U.S. saw an extraordinary rise in wealth last year, with more than 1,000 people crossing into millionaire...
THE HAGUE, Netherlands: The city that prides itself on being a beacon of peace and justice—home to institutions like the International...
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: Since taking office in December 2023, Argentine President Javier Milei has implemented sweeping austerity...
ZURICH, Switzerland: The Swiss National Bank (SNB) lowered its key interest rate to zero percent on June 19 to respond to falling inflation,...
THE HAGUE, Netherlands: The city that prides itself on being a beacon of peace and justice—home to institutions like the International...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Fine Gael Senator Mark Duffy says new laws to regulate vaping products will help make them less attractive to young...
MADRID, Spain: A routine oversight by Spain's power grid operator, REE, has been identified as the trigger behind the large-scale blackout...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Egyptian authorities released Paul Murphy, TD, from the People Before Profit party after his second detention on June...
DUBLIN, Ireland: In a significant demonstration outside Leinster House in Dublin, hundreds of housing protesters voiced their frustration...