Mesut Ozil will not be attending the farewell match of Werder Bremen legend Diego Ribas due to his political views.
Diego, a Bundesliga great, only retired in 2022 and will now be playing a goodbye match at the club’s Weserstadion on March 22.
Diego won a DFB Pokal and Liga Pokal while with the traditional German giants, and played alongside Ozil who would normally be included as such a key teammate.
However, Diego decided not to invite the former Arsenal and Real Madrid man, with the club confirming it was due to his political views in a statement to BILD.
“We have agreed with Diego not to put Mesut on the invitation list, as he has recently undergone a development that does not fit with the values of Werder Bremen,” they said.
Ozil recently joined the party of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is considered an authoritarian in his birthplace of Germany.
He also has a tattoo of a wolf on his chest, which BILD say is a tribute to the Grey Wolves, a right-wing extremist Turkish movement.
Similarly key during Diego’s time at the club was goalkeeper Tim Wiese, who has also been left off the invite list.
Wiese similarly has alleged ties to the German far-right, while he was banned from the stadium after a fight with a security worker.
Bremen added: “We did not invite Tim Wiese to Diego’s farewell match, and we communicated this to Diego.
“Furthermore, Tim publicly announced some time ago that he no longer wanted anything to do with Werder.”
Wiese told BILD: “It was clear to me that I wouldn’t be invited. I wish Diego only the best. We had a great time, and Werder is my favorite club.
“But as long as the current management is at work and kowtowing to the ultras, I won’t be entering the stadium again anyway.”
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