• Midfielder highlighted persecution of Muslims in China
• Club says it ‘does not involve itself in politics’ in statement
Arsenal have distanced themselves from comments made by Mesut Özil on Instagram, in which he spoke out strongly against China’s persecution of the Uighur population in the north-western region of Xinjiang and criticised Muslims for not doing more to highlight the issue.
The club sought to limit any damage caused to its business in China, where it has numerous commercial interests including a chain of restaurants, by releasing a statement on Weibo – a leading Chinese social media site – as well as other platforms stressing it is apolitical and does not associate itself with Özil’s views.
Written by Nick Ames
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/dec/13/arsenal-distance-themselves-from-mesut-ozil-comments-china-uighur-people under the title “Arsenal distance themselves from Mesut Özil comments on Uighurs’ plight”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
