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Germany and Arsenal footballer Mesut Ozil has reportedly donated his winnings from the 2014 World Cup finals to children in Gaza. The German FA had awarded every player in the 23-man squad a €300,000 bonus for winning the world cup, in addition to the €150,000 for winning their semi-final and other rewards for each game.
Ozil, who is of Turkish descent, is a practicing Muslim and often reads a recitation from the Quran before a match. He caused a modicum of controversy when he refused to shake the hands of a FIFA official who backed Israel.
Ozil is not the only footballer showing solidarity to Palestine.
Portugal and Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo auctioned of his Golden Boot trophy for 1.4 million Euros and donated the proceeds to schools in Gaza that had been destroyed by conflict. He also refused to exchange shirts in a Portuguese World Cup qualifier match with Israel in a show of support for Palestine.
Ivory Coast ace Didier Drogba, along with Eden Hazard, Jeremy Menez and Yohan Cabaye has asked international organizations to support victims of the Israeli-Gaza conflict, especially young footballers in Gaza. They also petitioned to boycott the U-21 UEFA European Championships in Israel.
Former Manchester United player Eric Cantona had also opposed Israel hosting the tournament. He also called out UEFA for ignoring news of Palestinian footballerMahmoud Sarsak being held captive, without reason, by the Israeli army. “Racism, violations of human rights and international law violations occur every day in the country. Now it’s time to end Israel’s impunity and emphasize the same standards in terms of equality, justice, and respect for international law we demand of other countries”, Cantona said.
After losing in the round of 16, the Algerian national football team was welcomed home to a great parade, during which the hoisted both the Algerian and the Palestinian flag. They also donated their entire prize money from the tournament, around 5.25 million pounds, to support Palestinians. Team member Islam Slimani said, “They (the Palestinians) are in more need than us”.
In 2009, Former Sevilla striker Frederic Kanoute was given a yellow card and a $4,000 fine for lifting his jersey and showing a black T-shirt with “Palestine” printed on it.