Cologne and Mesut Ozil count cost of China backlash

Arsenal star’s blacklisting set to continue while Bundesliga side lose Chinese sponsor a month after stopping academy deal

Germany and China football cooperation blighted by Tibet protests at Tokyo 2020 team friendly match

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Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil reacts during the English Premier League match against Manchester City. The game was not shown in China. Photo: EPA

Published: 8:00am, 13 Jan 2020Updated: 1:35pm, 13 Jan 2020

A German football club and one of the country’s star players are feeling the heat from China. News emerged over the weekend that Bundesliga side Cologne have lost a deal with a Chinese gambling sponsor, while Arsenal star and former Germany international Mesut Ozil is still being blacklisted by mainland media.

According to Cologne newspaper Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, the loss for the postponed deal for the top-flight side was about €1.5 million (US$1.66 million). The club did not offer comment but confirmed that the potential sponsors from China had withdrawn, reported Deutsche Welle online.

Cologne made headlines last month when they chose to postpone a joint academy with Chinese second-tier side Liaoning. The “current sporting situation” was the reason given for the end of that deal by club president Werner Wolf to the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger.

“Other forms of possible cooperation, for example sponsoring from Chinese companies, hasn’t been ruled out,” Wolf also said.

Cologne’s Sebastiaan Bornauw (second left) celebrates scoring his side’s second goal against Eintracht Frankfurt. Photo: DPA

That was at odds with former board member and club council member Stefan Müller-Römer, who told the same paper his view.

“I understand that Germany can’t completely get by without China and that there is an exchange between the two countries, but we don’t need China in sport and I stand by that.