Mesut Ozil agent hits back at Bayern Munich president for welcoming midfielder's international retirement

'Mr Hoeness cannot even provide any actual evidence to back up his foolish statements that are clearly exaggerated'

Mesut Ozil‘s agent has condemned Uli Hoeness as a “disgrace” after the Bayern Munich president accused the Arsenal midfielder of having been “crap for years” following his retirement from international football.

In a lengthy statement posted on Twitter on Sunday evening, Ozil – a third-generation Turkish-German who was born in Gelsenkirchen – accused the German Football Association of treating him with “racism and disrespect”.

Ozil claimed German FA (DFB) chiefs wanted him “out of the team” before the start of the World Cup, due to the emergence of a photograph featuring him with Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The picture led to criticism of Ozil in Germany. According to the player, only the intervention of head coach Low and team manager Oliver Bierhoff ensured he would then take part in Russia.

Ozil, who won 92 caps for Germany, also revealed he and his family had received hate mail and threatening phone calls and been subjected to social media abuse.

Nevertheless, Bayern president Hoeness, who won the World Cup with West Germany in 1974, found little sympathy with the midfielder when asked for his views on Ozil’s decision.

Quoted by German newspaper Bild, Hoeness said: “I’m glad this nightmare is over. He has been playing crap for years.

“The last tackle he won was before the 2014 World Cup – and now he is hiding himself and his poor performances behind this photo.”

Ozil’s agent, Dr Erkut Sogut, has since hit back at Hoeness, labelling his comments as “foolish” while describing the Bayern president as a “disgrace”.

“The comments of Mr Hoeness miss the point completely, as they have absolutely nothing to do with football. He is trying to divert attention away from the real issue, the issue of racism and discrimination in Germany, which is resurging once again within everyday German society,” he told Goal.

“As Mesut said in his statement, he accepts reasonable and fair criticism of his football, and deals with that as part of the job. However, Mr Hoeness cannot even provide any actual evidence to back up his foolish statements that are clearly exaggerated.

“Mr Hoeness, we will not waste any more time or energy talking about a subject clearly you know nothing about. Not only is he a disgrace to yourself, but also and more importantly a shame to German football and the people of Germany.”