Ex-footballer, lawmaker supports Mesut Özil

Turkish lawmaker and former footballer Alpay Ozalan supported the stance Germany's Mesut Ozil took against racism.

Ozil announced his retirement from the German national football team on Sunday citing "discrimination and racism".

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Ozalan from the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party, said: "I congratulate Mesut Ozil. Without doubt, he has taken an important step against racism."

Recalling the times when he played in Europe, Ozalan said he had also been exposed to racist attacks. "I can clearly relate to what Mesut feels."

The lawmaker invited Ozil to play for the Turkish team.

Germany’s star player, who has Turkish origins, has been criticized by German politicians and media outlets after he met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in May, ahead of elections in Turkey.

In a series of tweets, Ozil defended his meeting with Erdogan during a charitable event in London, saying a picture with the Turkish president was not about politics or elections.

“It was about me respecting the highest office of my family’s country.

“I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose,” Ozil said.

Germany's shocking group-stage elimination at the 2018 World Cup in Russia sparked more criticism of the 29-year-old footballer.

Ozalan, born in 1972, has represented Turkey 87 times in the national team, making him the country's sixth-most capped player of all time.