Despite being suspended for the last two months, former Germany international Mesut Ozil has stated he will not leave Fenerbahce till he retires.
Early in April, Fenerbahce announced officially that Ozil and the Turkish international Ozan Tufan had been cut from the team.
According to The Athletic, head coach Ismail Kartal made the decision, which is not believed to be tied to performance on the field.
Subsequently, Football London alleged that the elimination was the result of a verbal incident among the two players and the Fenerbahce manager. Since then, neither player has been included on a match day roster.
Despite his two-month absence from the Fenerbahce squad, Ozil has now stepped out to assert that he will not be forced to leave the club.
“Recently, I have had to make a statement regarding the allegations made about my career,” Özil wrote on Instagram.
“I completed my career goal by signing a 3.5-year contract with Fenerbahçe, my childhood love, without even getting paid for the first 6 months.
“I repeat with emphasis; I will not end my career in a team besides Fenerbahçe. For the duration of my contract, my only goal is to wear our Çubuklu jersey. This decision is apparent and final.
“As per the requirements of professional life, if our management takes a decision about me, I will only respect this. I will work hard and always keep myself ready.” the former Arsenal star wrote.
Things seemed to be going pretty well for Özil before he was dropped, as he made 26 appearances and scored nine goals – including four penalties.
But the injuries and fall-outs with managers are the persisting issues for one of the most successful players of his era as he missed 22 matches in all competitions.
Özil will hope that the Fenerbahçe management will rethink their decision and bring him back into the fold for next season.
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