Report: Joachim Low Snubbed by Mesut Ozil, Banned from Arsenal Training Ground
Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil has reportedly snubbed an offer from Germany manager Joachim Low to meet and discuss his decision to retire from international football.
According to Bild (h/t Owen Fulda at the Daily Star), Low attempted to contact Ozil for talks but received no response from the 29-year-old.
The Germany boss flew to London to organise a meeting only to be refused entry to Arsenal's training ground on orders from manager Unai Emery, per the report.
Ozil announced his decision to retire from international football in July after the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
The Arsenal star came under scrutiny for his performances, as Germany exited at the group stages for the first time since 1938.
He was also criticised by German Football Association President Reinhard Grindel for posing for pictures with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in May, per Sky Sports News.
The Arsenal star wrote a lengthy statement explaining his decision and said he had endured feelings of "racism" and "disrespect" from within the German federation:
Low subsequently denied Ozil's claims, per Adam Crafton for the Daily Mail. He said: "Mesut made allegations of racism, but I can clearly say that in the DFB (German FA) there has never been racist comments."
Germany midfielder Toni Kroos said Ozil's statement was "nonsense" and that "racism within the national team and the DFB does not exist," per BBC Sport.
Ozil did receive support after making his decision from Emery, who said "we need and we want to help him," per Paul MacInnes at the Guardian.
Die Mannschaft returned to action after the World Cup in September. They drew 0-0 with France in their opening UEFA Nations League game and followed that up with a friendly win over Peru.
Ahead of those games Low addressed questions about a possible comeback for Ozil, per ESPN FC:
The Germany boss must now prepare a squad for Nations League fixtures against Netherlands and France in October, but he will have to do it once again without Ozil.
An international comeback for the Arsenal star looks unlikely, and he appears to have a strong supporter in Emery. The Spaniard has said his international retirement could benefit Arsenal, per Standard Sport.
