Mesut Ozil broke his silence on Friday afternoon after being suspended by Fenerbahce 24 hours earlier. The former Arsenal midfielder was banned by the Turkish club for allegedly having a verbal altercation with interim manager Ismail Kartal.
The former Germany international, 33, posted a picture of a Turkish and Fenerbahce flag on Twitter with the caption: "The main thing is Fenerbahce."
Ozil is believed to have fallen out with Kartal during Fenerbahce's 2-1 home victory against Super Lig rivals Konyaspor on Sunday. His team-mate Ozan Tufan, who spent time on loan at Premier League side Watford earlier in the season, has also been suspended.
"Our 'Football A Team' players Mesut Ozil and Ozan Tufan have been excluded from the squad as per the decision taken," read a statement from the Turkish outfit, published on social media. "It is announced to the public."
Ozil and Tufan will not be eligible for selection or even train with Fenerbahce's first team until further notice. According to football.london, the World Cup winner will be forced to find a new club in the summer if the situation can't be resolved soon.
Ozil joined Fenerbahce in January 2021 after his Arsenal contract was mutually terminated. He's impressed this term - scoring nine goals and providing two assists in all competitions - but was also criticised by club president Ali Koc last year.
"Since the start of this season, Mesut Ozil has been compared to Robin van Persie," said Koc. "Ozil wants to play more. From now on, he needs to focus on his game and keep his commercial interests out of it. He needs to think about contributing to Fenerbahce.
"Our coach also needs to try to figure out how to get the most out of Ozil. There is not a problem, despite what the media says. Mesut is unhappy because he does not play regularly."
Kartal, who won Fenerbache's most recent trophy during his first spell in charge in 2015, returned to the hot seat at the beginning of this calendar year following the departure of Vitor Pereira. The Portuguese coach was recently linked with the Everton job.
Ozil still has 27 months remaining on his existing deal and is reportedly earning £3.5million-a-year at Fenerbache. The Turkish outfit recently denied Ozil had gone on strike due to unpaid wages, with the club reportedly £300m in debt.
"The news that Mesut Ozil did not play because his debts from the club were not paid have nothing to do with the facts," read a statement. "As we have often experienced, this kind of fake news that is created completely haphazardly without being confirmed by any official from our club is beyond our tolerance limit... payments have been made on time until now."
Ozil endured a difficult end to his Arsenal career under Mikel Arteta. He didn't play during the final 10 months at the Emirates, despite being the highest earner. Ozil was reportedly earning £350,000-a-week at Arsenal after signing a bumper deal in January 2018.
