Turkish Football Federation (TFF) Administrator Servet Yardımcı said, “I believe the 2024 Championship will be given to us rather than Germany, I believe the Özil scandal has given us an edge.”

Mesut Özil, who had posed for photographs with Erdoğan before the June 24 elections, announced in July that he was leaving Germany’s national team. “I would take another photo with Erdoğan,” said Özil, and claimed that Germany’s football federation was “racist” against him.

Özil’s resignation was on the agenda in both Germany and Turkey for a long time, and it has since come to light that the AKP government was behind it. Turkish Football Federation (TFF) First Deputy Chairperson Servet Yardımcı himself admitted that the AKP regime used the Özil scandal to make sure the 2024 European Football Championship goes to Turkey instead of Germany.

Yardımcı spoke to English language football news site “Inside World Football” and said Germany’s chances for 2024 had dropped after Özil’s controversial resignation, and that they expect something to come out of this scandal. Yardımcı claimed that the Özil incident put Turkey at an advantage against Germany.

DECISION FOR 2024 TO BE MADE IN SEPTEMBER

Yardımcı claimed that the case Turkey had prepared is much better than Germany’s, and continued: “I now think the chance of UEFA deciding in favor of Germany is very low.”

The location of the 2024 European Football Championship will be determined on September 27, in the Irish capital of Dublin. Turkey and Germany are in the running, and representatives from 18 countries will cast their votes.

During discussions in Germany after Özil’s resignation, some commenters in the German media said the Turkish government is accusing Germany of racism through Özil in an attempt to tarnish the country’s reputation.

Özil, despite posing in close photographs with a despot and racist like Erdoğan and having been elected player of the year five times in the country, had accused Germany’s Football Federation (DFB) of racism. DFB Chairperson Reinhard Grindel had rejected Özil’s allegations in no uncertain terms, and stated that they were only criticizing Özil for taking a photograph with Erdoğan.