Mesut Özil accuses FIFA of double standards over Russia and Israel

Former Germany midfielder Mesut Özil criticized FIFA for suspending Russian teams while taking no similar action against Israeli teams. “They should finally put double standards aside,” he said.

Former Arsenal and Real Madrid midfielder and Germany international Mesut Özil accused FIFA of applying double standards. Özil said the organization had imposed restrictions on Russian teams but had not taken similar measures against Israeli teams.

“FIFA did not impose an embargo on Israeli teams in this process, but it did impose one on Russian teams. They should finally put this double standard aside and treat everyone equally,” Özil told reporters.

Başakşehir and Zenit veterans’ match

Özil made the statement on October 21 in Istanbul, where a friendly match between veterans of the Turkish club İstanbul Başakşehir and Zenit St Petersburg was held at Başakşehir’s facilities. The game was organized as part of the 19th Eurasian Economic Forum “Verona.” Başakşehir’s veterans won 3-2.

Mesut Özil signing ceremony with Fenerbahçe (archive)

Başakşehir president Göksel Gümüşdağ also voiced similar criticism. “There are double standards here. FIFA and UEFA must act fairly,” he said, noting that no sanctions had been imposed on Israel in football or other sports.

FIFA and UEFA suspended Russian clubs and national teams from international tournaments in 2022 after hostilities began in Ukraine.