Turkey president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has backed Mesut Ozil over his retirement from the German national team.
The Arsenal playmaker was criticised over a photograph taken with the controversial head of state in May, with the backlash reaching a peak after Die Mannschaft's early exit from the World Cup.
Erdogan revealed that he spoke to Ozil after his announcement, stating that his critics "could not stomach" the photo and expressing admiration for the player's attitude, according to The Mirror.
Speaking to reporters in the Turkish parliament, Erdogan criticised the reaction to Ozil, saying: "Such a racist treatment towards a young man who has given his all to the German national team for his religious beliefs is unacceptable."
Other Turkish officials have also come out in defence of the star, including the head of its Football Federation, Yildirim Demiroren, who said: "We condemn the treatment, threats and derogatory messages that he has received because of his heritage and background."
There have also been calls from German politician Cem Ozdemir for the president of the German Football Association (DFB), Reinhard Grindel, to resign, after Ozil claimed that he had been blamed by him for Germany's unsuccessful World Cup campaign.
Ozil has scored 23 goals in 93 appearances for the national side and helped to lead them to a World Cup triumph in 2014.
