Former Germany manager Jogi Low has reflected on the storm caused by Mesut Ozil and Iklay Gundogan posing with the president of Turkey before the 2018 World Cup.
The duo who have Turkish heritage took a photo with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in London ahead of the tournament and created a media storm which Low now admits impacted the national team.
“That caused an incredible amount of discussion in our country,” he recalled, adding.
“For the two or three weeks of training camp, there was really only one topic. Too much energy, too much concentration, was simply lost.
“For the first time in my time, the team was no longer as united. For the first time, the team was divided.
“It might have been better to do without them,” he admitted. “I said: Especially now, when the players are under such pressure, we have to protect them.
“It turned out that neither Ilkay nor Mesut delivered performances that helped us.
“Ilkay sat in the locker room and shed tears. Mesut was, of course, also demoralized. The hostility put a heavy strain on the players.”
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