Arsenal chief gives his view regarding the club’s stance on Ozil’s comments about Uighur Muslims

Arsenal chief Vinai Venkatesham feels that it is unfair to say the club took a commercial view on the way they responded to former Gunner Mesut Ozil’s comments on the mistreatment of Uighur Muslims in China. He said this at the Financial Times Business of Football event via football.london. 

Ozil, who joined Turkish side Fenerbahce last month, posted on his Instagram account that Uighur Muslims were “warriors who resist persecution”. He said this at a time when the United Nations reported that millions were being imprisoned by Chinese authorities.

The German playmaker was heavily censored in China as a result of his comments and his association with Arsenal threatened to undermine the club’s commercial interests in China. The North London club issued a statement on the matter that seemed rushed in which they said that Ozil’s comments were merely the player’s “personal opinion” and that the club “has always adhered to the principle of not involving itself in politics.”

On whether Arsenal’s position on the matter was due to the possible financial repercussions in China, Venkatesham said:

“I don’t think that’s fair to say. That’s how it was reported but it’s not fair to say we took a commercial view.”

“We were asked for comment around the situation, particularly in China, and our position was to say it was a statement a player made in an individual capacity. Commercial wasn’t a driver behind that, it was about Mesut making a statement in his individual capacity.”

“At Arsenal we want to enable players to have a voice and speak as individuals. Sometimes they do that as part of club messaging, sometimes as individuals. As an example, in the middle of the George Floyd issue the players came to us and said they want to make a stand and send a message out.”

In an interview with David Ornstein of the Athletic in August 2020, Ozil admitted that he was disappointed with the club’s reaction to his comments about Uighur Muslims. He said:

“Every human is equal. It doesn’t matter what religion or colour you are — Muslim, Christian, Jew, black, white or anything else. We are all the same.”

“What I said was not against Chinese people, it was against whoever is doing this to the Uighur Muslims and other people who are not helping them, such as other Muslim countries.”