Chinese state broadcaster drops Arsenal game after Mesut Ozil attacks treatment of Uygurs
- CCTV’s decision to scrap live fixture against Manchester City follows former Germany international’s call for Muslims to speak out about treatment of minorities in Xinjiang
- English Premier League club tried to distance itself from player’s comments but will now wait to see if there are further repercussions
China’s state broadcaster has dropped plans to show a live broadcast of Arsenal’s Sunday fixture against Manchester City after one of its star players attacked Beijing’s treatment of the Uygur minority.
The decision to scrap the English Premier League fixture in favour of a pre-recorded game between Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanders was made despite the club’s attempts to distance itself from Mesut Ozil’s comments.
The decision comes month’s after American’s National Basketball Association faced a backlash from fans and sponsors in China after a team manager expressed support for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protesters and Arsenal will now be waiting to see if Ozil’s comments lead to further repercussions.
In Instagram and Twitter posts, Ozil accused Muslims of staying silent over the mistreatment of the Uygur Muslim minority in China, becoming one of the most prominent public figures to condemn Beijing on the issue.
“Korans are burned. Mosques are closed. Their schools are banned,” said the Muslim player, who is often seen praying on the field, “but the Muslim community is silent.”
The club responded with a post on Weibo, where it has more than 5 million followers, distancing itself from the player’s comments.