Ozil quit the German national team in the fallout of a picture of him with the Turkish president.
The German football association (DFB) have “emphatically rejected†allegations of racism from Mesut Ozil after the Arsenal star quit international football, but have conceded they could have done more to protect him.
The 2014 World Cup winner accused DFB of treating him with "racism and disrespect" on Sunday, revealing that he and his family have received hate mail, threatening phone calls and online abuse and said that sponsors have also distanced themselves from him.
But the DFB have refuted the allegations put against them by Ozil, saying they “regret the departure of Mesut Ozil from the national teamâ€.
The statement read: “We emphatically reject the DFB being linked to racism. The DFB has been very involved in integration work in Germany for many years.
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“The DFB stands for diversity, from the representatives at the top to the boundless, day-to-day dedication of people at the base.â€
Source:Â independent.co.uk