“I was once in his (Ozil’s) shoes” - KP Boateng

Kevin-Prince Boateng said he understood Mesut Ozil's withdrawal from international competition amid growing tension in German society and football "because I was once there."



Boateng, plying his trade with Sassuolo now, became controversial when his tackle in the FA Cup final between Portsmouth and Chelsea ended Michael Ballack's hopes of competing in the 2010 World Cup, which would be his last.

A German journalist said in 2009 that Boateng could "not be re-established in society" after a misdemeanor at Wolfoos Makoto Hasebe and after the incident Ballack was labeled a "bad boy" of German football. Boateng pledge his loyalty to Ghana, his father’s home country, in the midst of a negative reaction.

"To be sincere, I was surprised because it was not expected," Boateng told Bild about Ozil's decision to retire from international football. "I feel it was how best he could react to stress, I was once in his shoes.”

“I know what it's when everyone hits you on the face with harsh comments, when the criticism is strong and your family inclusive. It affects your emotions and you can not continue with your life. "

Boateng, was the victim of racist abuse during a friendly match for AC Milan in 2013 and took his team off the pitch with a protest. After few months, he spoke to the United Nations about his actions.

Boateng’s fight against racism was rewarded in December last year by WDR 1Live, one of the largest German radio stations.

Ozil referenced racism at the top of the German federation and parts of German society when he left Germany National Team in July after the worst outing in 80 years at the world.

His statement is one of the few incidents related to the broader political landscape of the country in recent weeks.

At the fourth level Regionalliga, Berliner AK, a club that welcomes immigration players, is afraid of their next trip to Chemnitz.

The city was talk of the town when the Nazis marched after the death of a citizen, apparently in the hands of immigrants, at the end of August, where migrants and journalists were attacked.

“There’s always a bad feeling when playing in east Germany," Mehmet Ozturk told Die Welt.

The team has already established a camp in the neighboring Czech Republic on a recent trip to Auerbach and will keep 40 kilometers distance from Chemnitz before Saturday's game.

But Ali Han, president of the club, warned that the team "would leave the field if there were racial or xenophobic attack."

The Berliner AK will take a leaf from Lauchringen, a local club in south west of Germany. His players left the pitch during the League match in Weizen after the racist insulted Kebba Mamadou of Lauchringen, who arrived three years ago in Germany from Ghana.

"Everyone has to interpret the sadness of the insults," said General Director Lauchringen Thomas Kummer to Stuttgarter Nachrichten. "They were terrible for Kebba, it's a great gesture for him from his team-mates."

Another typical example occurred on Sunday, when a local game between the reserve teams of MTV Braunschweig and Rot-Weiss Braunschweig was overshadowed by racial abuses, which featured several players of immigrants.

After a foul on one of the MTV players towards the tail end of the match, adrenaline were fast between the two parties and MTV coach was thought to have said: "You’re going back to Auschwitz."

Jorg Diekmann, the general manager of MTV

said to News38 in an interview “He will be relieved of his post if a bit of what he was accused of is confirmed.”

The conflict between Potsdam Babelsberg Regionalliga and the local FA (NOFV) made front pages of newspapers.

The club began rebellion against the rise of the new right after “NOFV” slammed a fine on them after "a fan with a red hair cut" screamed "Nazi pigs" in response to the Nazi songs and Adolf Hitler Greetings from fans of Energie Cottbus.