Wenger defends Ozil over Uighur comments

DOHA: Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has defended Mesut Ozil after comments made by the Gunners midfielder condemning treatment of Uighur Muslims led to a stinging backlash in China.“Mesut Ozil has the freedom of speech like everybody else and he uses his notoriety to express his opinions which are not necessarily shared by everybody, but he has the right to do that,” Wenger told journalists in Doha on Wednesday. “You are a human being, you have an opinion, and then when you play football you play football. You do your job first and you have to respect that.”Ozil, a German of Turkish origin, condemned China’s crackdown on Muslim minorities in the western region of Xinjiang in a tweet last week.In response, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV pulled its coverage of Arsenal’s Premier League game against Manchester City last weekend. Arsenal have distanced themselves from Ozil’s comments, but Chinese state media warned that they would have “serious implications” for his club.On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo denounced China’s reaction over the matter. “What is important is that Ozil has an individual responsibility. He does not carry the word of Arsenal Football Club, so what he says is about himself and not about Arsenal,” added Wenger, who oversaw Ozil’s arrival at the Emirates Stadium from Real Madrid in 2013.

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