Mesut Ozil retirement takes Joachim Low by surprise but leaves Lothar Matthaus disdainful

Low was on holiday in Sardinia when news of Ozil's resignation and allegations of racism broke on Sunday

The decision by Mesut Ozil, right, to leave Die Mannschaft has unleashed a racism storm in Germany. AFP

Mesut Ozil's shock retirement from international football caught Germany manager Joachim Low by surprise, it emerged on Tuesday.

Low was on holiday in Sardinia when news of Ozil's retirement broke on Sunday and he only found out when the Arsenal midfielder posted statements on Twitter and Instagram.

"Neither the national coach nor I were informed in advance," Low's agent Harun Arslan confirmed to German daily Bild.

Ozil, 29, dropped a bombshell by announcing his retirement from Germany duty and accused the president of the German Football Association (DFB), Reinhard Grindel, of racism.

"In the eyes of Grindel and his supporters, I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose," Ozil wrote in his lengthy farewell statement.

Ozil, a 2014 World Cup winner was born in Gelsenkirchen but has strong Turkish roots.

DFB on Monday refuted Ozil's allegations of racism, but the fiasco has damaged the governing body's reputation in football-mad Germany.

A survey of 5,000 Germans by t-online.de showed 49.7 per cent think Grindel should resign over the saga.

Ozil says he is quitting over the furor caused by his meeting with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the eve of the World Cup as Grindel failed to back him amidst the criticism.

When Germany crashed out of the World Cup in Russia after the knockout stage, Ozil was made a scapegoat by some pundits in a group of senior players who failed to perform.

He was dropped after the shock 1-0 defeat to Mexico, sitting out the last-gasp 2-1 win over Sweden, but was one of several stars who played poorly in the 2-0 defeat to South Korea which confirmed Germany's early World Cup exit.

DFB president Reinhard Grindel, left, and manager Joachim Low, right, have a problem on their hands. AP Photo

'Opened the door'

The Arsenal midfielder is walking away after nine years as one of Low's most trusted players.

The news that he had no warning is surprising as Arslan has a co-operation agreement with Ozil's advisor Erkut Sogut, who only warned the DFB that a statement would be released on Sunday.

After 23 goals and 40 assists in 92 appearances for Germany, the loss of Ozil is a blow to Low, who deployed the Arsenal midfielder as his main playmaker.

Germany's first game after the World Cup debacle is against newly-crowned world champions France in the new Nations League tournament on September 6 in Munich.

With Ozil gone, Low will have to find his replacement with Paris Saint-Germain's Julian Draxler or Borussia Dortmund star Marco Reus as the leading candidates.

Leon Goretzka, 23, Lars Stindl, 29, and Thomas Muller, 28, have also played well for Germany in the attacking midfield role.

______________

Read more:

Germans protest anti-migration moves on a day Mesut Ozil quits the national team

Joachim Low: Germany 'deserved' to be eliminated at World Cup group stage

______________

"Mesut Abi ['brother' in Turkish], your technique on the ball has opened the door to the national team for players like me," wrote Draxler on his Instagram account along with a picture of him and Ozil.

"Thank you for everything you've done for German football. You can be proud of your many achievements."

However, others see Ozil's retirement as no great loss for Germany.

"He has not put in performances that can help the national team over the last 18 months to two years, nor was he convincing at the World Cup in his two outings," former Germany captain Lothar Matthaus told Sky Sports.

"Now there is the chance for a younger, maybe even a better player" to come into the Germany side, Matthaus added.