Özil urges FIFA to end the Russian ban after the Israel comparison

The former German national player Mesut Özil used a veteran match between Istanbul Basaksehir and Zenit St. Petersburg, after the 3-2 victory for the Turkish club, at an event to make a clear statement to the global football governing body FIFA and to demand Russia's return.

Political statement on the stage

On the stage of the match, Özil criticised the double standard, which in his view exists between Israel and Russia. He reminded that there is no embargo on Israeli teams, but there is on Russian ones.

“Football has always provided peace. As long as we have not considered origin and belief, football has always brought people together. As you know, there was no embargo on teams from Israel, but there was on Russian ones,” Özil explained.

After the illegal under international law Russian attack on Ukraine, FIFA and UEFA have imposed sanctions on Russian teams and excluded them from competitions. Özil now demands that these measures be lifted.

The political connections of both clubs are volatile: Zenit St. Petersburg enjoys the support of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, while President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is considered a supporter of Basaksehir and even maintains close relations with Özil's family, who are allowed to call the Turkish president “Grandpa”.

Last year, the 38‑year‑old Özil was elected by party members to the board of the AKP, the strictly conservative‑Islamic oriented party of Erdogan, which underscores his repeated political ambitions.