Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Arsenal to probe Ozil’s Appearance At nightclub

LONDON — Arsenal are to seek clarification from Mesut Ozil after he was reportedly seen socialising in a Berlin nightclub only hours after missing Arsenal’s 2-1 win against Newcastle United on Saturday.

LONDON — Arsenal are to seek clarification from Mesut Ozil after he was reportedly seen socialising in a Berlin nightclub only hours after missing Arsenal’s 2-1 win against Newcastle United on Saturday.

Ozil’s omission that day was explained as him being under the weather, but German newspaper Bild said he was later seen at The Pearl nightclub for an anniversary event.

Arsenal had given Ozil permission to travel back to Germany on Saturday and, even if he had been involved in the Newcastle match, he was likely to have left for Berlin immediately after the game.

Ozil is now with the Germany squad ahead of a friendly match against Australia on Wednesday (tomorrow morning, Singapore time).

Arsenal want to speak with Ozil to understand what happened on Saturday, but given that his cold was never regarded as severe, are relatively relaxed about the situation. At this stage, there is no suggestion that there would be any disciplinary action, though Ozil is likely to be reminded of his responsibilities and the perception that the story could create.

Ozil is now recovered from his illness and is expected to be available for Germany for both tomorrow night and the Euro 2016 qualifier against Georgia on Sunday.

Manager Arsene Wenger has had to deal with two other off-field incidents this year.

Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was fined after being caught lighting a cigarette in the dressing room following the New Year’s Day loss at Southampton.

Midfielder Jack Wilshere also apologised after he was photographed holding a shisha pipe during a night out to watch the Super Bowl while he recovered from injury.

There is no suggestion that the Bild story will affect Ozil’s place in Arsenal’s match against Liverpool after the international break. Both Arsenal and Ozil have been on good form since he returned from the knee injury he had suffered earlier in the season against Chelsea.

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.