Fenerbahce have confirmed that Mesut Ozil has been suspended with immediate effect, with the Turkish giants sanctioning the former Arsenal star along with Turkish international Ozan Tufan.
A statement released by the club's official social media account reads: "Our Football A Team players Mesut Özil and Ozan Tufan have been excluded from the squad as per the decision taken. It is announced to the public."
Ozil joined Fenerbahce last January after Mikel Arteta made the decision to sanction his exit, terminating his contract six months before it was due to officially expire. However, his lack of match fitness showed in his first half-season with the Turkish giants, registering just one assist in 10 Super Lig matches.
This campaign has been a slight improvement, scoring nine times and registering a pair of assists, with his last goal coming in the 5-2 win over Alanyaspor on March 13. In Fenerbahce’s most recent encounter, against Konyaspor, manager Ismail Kartal substituted the former German international at half-time with reports claiming Ozil and Tufan both voiced their frustrations at a lack of minutes.
The club have also recently been forced to deny that Ozil had effectively gone on strike due to a row over unpaid wages. Turkish broadcaster Volkan Demir had suggested that his recent absences, which were down to back injury, were actually due to a dispute over his salary.
Fener are currently more than £300million in debt, but hit back at the claim with a strongly worded statement. “The news that Mesut Ozil did not play because his debts from the club were not paid have nothing to do with the facts,” the statement read.#
“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.
“Despite the heavy economic conditions at Fenerbahce, payments have been made on time until now. We invite Volkan Demir, who voiced this news, to correct his comment and apologise. Otherwise, we would like to point out that our club will not be able to take part in any organisation or facility it hosts.”
Ozil's contract with the Turkish top-flight club is set to run until the summer of 2024, where it is believed he earns up to £3.5million-per-year. Meanwhile, Ozan Tufan spent the first half of this season on-loan with Premier League strugglers Watford, but after making just nine appearances in all competitions, the parties came to an agreement to let him return to his parent club at the start of February.
