Former Germany international Mesut Özil has been banned from his former club Werder Bremen because of a controversial tattoo. According to the Bild newspaper, the Bundesliga club has excluded the 36-year-old former playmaker from its guest list for a tribute to Diego Ribas, his former team-mate.
The reason for the exclusion? A tattoo depicting a grey wolf and a flag adorned with three crescent moons, symbols associated with extreme right-wing groups advocating ultranationalism and anti-Semitism. This discovery led Werder Bremen to distance themselves from their former player.
Özil, who retired in June 2023 at the age of 34, made his mark on European soccer, playing for such prestigious clubs as Arsenal, Real Madrid, Fenerbahçe and Schalke. He also shone at Werder Bremen before joining Madrid in 2010.
This controversy has tarnished the image of the former 2014 world champion, who has already been the subject of controversy in the past, notably due to his political connections and public stances. Neither Özil nor Werder Bremen have yet reacted publicly to the affair.