Jurgen Klopp has come to the defence of Mesut Ozil again as Uli Hoeness continues his one-man personal crusade against the midfielder.

The Liverpool manager first came to the defence of Ozil back in July when he told Bild, “Both [Ozil and Gundogan] were certainly not very well advised in this matter [meeting Erdogan].

“Older, more experienced people should have helped them there.

“We should not forget that the two of them have Turkish roots even though they grew up here in Germany. But it is the same as always: the one who cries the loudest is the one who hears the most. But that’s never been my thing.”

ozil erdogan
AP

Since those comments, the attacks on Ozil have not stopped with Bayern Munich’s president, Uli Hoeness leading the charge. After accusing Ozil of using racism as a distraction tool, the 66-year-old attacked Unai Emery’s decision to make him one of his club captains.

So it has been left, once again, for Klopp to be the German voice of reason in this matter.

“This is a classic example of absolute misinformation and, of course, complete nonsense,” he told Sport1.

“In politics, little things have always been blown up and big things pushed away in order to continue.

mesut ozil bench v south korea
KAZAN, RUSSIA – JUNE 27: Mesut Oezil of Germany looks dejected following his sides defeat in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group F match between Korea Republic and Germany at Kazan Arena on June 27, 2018 in Kazan, Russia. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

“Normally, intelligent people tend to hold back because it is not easy to say the right thing. I would count myself [among those people] too. All those who have no idea are very loud in these conversations.

“I do not doubt these guys, at least about their loyalty to our homeland. The difference is that they just have one more thing [in their heritage]. Where is the problem? That’s beautiful.

“Cultural diversity, we all thought it was really cool around the 2006 World Cup. I saw these fantastic commercials where the parents of Gerald Asamoah and Mario Gomez had a barbecue party together.

“And now two guys are seduced by politically quite intelligent people to have a photo, and then have relatively few opportunities to say what they want 100 percent right.

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 12: Unai Emery, Manager of Arsenal speaks with Mesut Ozil of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester City at Emirates Stadium on August 12, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 12: Unai Emery, Manager of Arsenal speaks with Mesut Ozil of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester City at Emirates Stadium on August 12, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

“That’s why I find this discussion hypocritical. Bad things happened because people were not informed properly. Even the media should not create a buzz around something like this every day. Just cool off and see the people behind it.”

The Bayern Munich president, who has been repeatedly scathing about Ozil, said this week Özil “is a good marketing product whose image is much better than it is as a player” while adding “If Löw had gone to see Arsenal more often and seen him properly, he probably would not have taken him for sporting reasons, it’s a miracle that he is now captain of Arsenal.”

45-minute read: Mesut Ozil – A casualty of a divided world

Quite what Hoeness’s problem is with Ozil is not clear but that could also be said about the whole of Bayern Munich who have paraded a steady stream of people to criticise Ozil after German’s World Cup humiliation. It’s almost as if they are trying to detract from the fact that a large part of the squad that failed came from their club.

Ozil has taken the majority of blame for Germany’s failures which is beyond unfair, especially considering the performances of many other players – especially those hailing from Munich.

Reinhard Grindel has also admitted he should have done more to protect Ozil from racist attacks that many Bayern Munich people don’t think are a problem.

Ever since Ozil announced that he would not be playing for the German national team because of what he felt was racism due to his Turkish heritage, we’ve had to listen to a string of white, single-nationality Bayern Munich Germans tell us all how Ozil doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

Hoeness, who was by far the most over-the-top in his criticism, was at it again at the weekend, accusing Ozil of using racism as a distraction before coming out with his latest comments.

“Ozil has cleverly brought racism into the game to distract attention from the fact that he has not played football well for a long time,” Hoeness told Sky Sports.

Uli Hoeness Bayern Munich president
FC Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness

“I found it impossible that the DFB president had to get involved to solve the Ozil and Gundogan issue.

“Özil should have been forced to give an explanation, that was no small matter. He is a well-marketed product, who is represented by his agency much better than he is as a player.

“Joachim Low should have gone to Arsenal more often and had a look at him. He probably would not have taken him to the World Cup for sporting reasons, and then we would have been spared the whole drama.”

But the man at the centre of Ozil’s statement, DFB president, Reinhard Grindel, backed Ozil’s accusations of general racism, even if he doesn’t accept Ozil’s accusations that he was a big part of the problem.

Robert Enke wife
HANOVER, GERMANY – OCTOBER 10: Reinhard Grindel (l) and Teresa Enke, wife of former German national goalkeeper Robert Enke (not pictured), present the ‘EnkeApp’ during a press conference at HDI-Arena on October 10, 2016 in Hanover, Germany. Robert Enke committed suicide on November 10, 2009, following severe depression. Teresa Enke initiated the ‘Robert-Enke-Stiftung’ to fight against depressions inside professional sports. (Photo by Alexander Koerner/Bongarts/Getty Images)

“Regarding the racist attacks, I could have taken a clearer position at some points and stood by Mesut Özil,” Grindel told Bild.

“I should have been clear with my words. Such attacks are completely unacceptable. I regret that he felt deserted by the DFB.

“It is important to say though, that I said nothing about his sporting performance after the World Cup. For me, it was obvious that we win together and lose together. To make an individual player responsible for our exit would be absurd.”

mesut ozil bench v south korea
KAZAN, RUSSIA – JUNE 27: Mesut Oezil of Germany looks dejected following his sides defeat in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group F match between Korea Republic and Germany at Kazan Arena on June 27, 2018 in Kazan, Russia. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images, )

Grindel offered further clarification regarding accusations he had blamed Ozil for the team’s poor performances in Russia. “That is not right,” he continued. “I was talking about a different point. 

“After the photos with President Erdogan, Ilkay Gündogan clearly and understandably made a statement. I would have liked the same from Özil because I know from conversations with fans that they too had questions on the matter. That must not be misinterpreted as criticism of his sporting performance. I would have liked such an explanation even if we ended up winning the World Cup.”

Grindel also said that this matter was not “about his feelings” but about ensuring the integration work being done by the DFB was not discredited.