Chinese TV Cancels Telecast of Arsenal vs Manchester City After Mesut Ozil’s Comments on Uighur Muslim Minority

Mesut Ozil has been in the eye of the storm ever since he has spoken up about the on Uighur Muslim Minority. The fans are extremely disappointed with the statement and the ones in China have also burned Arsenal’s jersey as a mark of protest. Now, this has not gone down well with the Chinese TV broadcasters had pulled off the telecast of the match between Arsenal and Manchester City. Instead, they relayed a delayed schedule recording of Tottenham's 2-1 victory over Wolverhampton. Arsenal had lost the match against Manchester City by 0-3. Mesut Ozil Condemns China's Policy Towards Uighur Muslims, Arsenal Fans in China Burn Club T-Shirts. 

Streaming service PPTV.com also cancelled a feed of Arsenal's match which featured Ozil for almost an hour before the relay of the match. China is one of the most lucrative markets for English Premier League and the rights sold for $700 million in a three-year deal that runs through 2022. Ozil lashed out China’s policy for Uighur Muslim Minority. Mesut Ozil took to social media and wrote on the backdrop of the flag of the short-lived East Turkestan Republic, an area that is now Chinese-controlled Xinjiang. “[In China] Qurans are burned, mosques were closed down, Islamic theological schools, madrasas were banned, religious scholars were killed one by one. Despite all this, Muslims stay quiet,” read his post.

Check out the post below:

Post this outburst, Arsenal went on to disassociate themselves from the statement and said, “The content he expressed is entirely Ozil's personal opinion. As a football club, Arsenal always adheres to the principle of not being involved in politics." Mesut Ozil is a Muslim who was born in Germany from parents of Turkish origin.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 17, 2019 12:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).