Ever heard of a referee asking a player to sign autograph on his yellow card? Well that was exactly what happened Saturday when the match referee for the international Cup tie between Arsenal and PSG asked Mesut Ozil for autograph.
The former Germany international Mesut Ozil was slightly surprised when he got a special request from the match referee.
Mesut Ozil netted a 12th-minute opener for the Gunners against Unai Emery’s former side at the National Stadium in Singapore, perhaps with his confidence suitably enhanced by a somewhat unusual pre-match interaction.
As he stood clutching an Arsenal pennant ready to lead his side onto the pitch, Ozil was approached by the match referee, who appeared to ask the player to autograph his yellow card.
Ozil could be forgiven for being slightly mystified by such an odd request, yet he obliged with a smile as team-mate
Hector Bellerin looked on puzzlingly in footage caught by television cameras and shared widely on social media.
After missing the defeat to Atletico Madrid last week, the 29-year-old will have no doubt been glad to return his focus to events on the pitch following a recent row that culminated with him retiring from international football.
Ozil, a third-generation Turkish-German from Gelsenkirchen who met with Turkey’s controversial president Recep Tayyip Erdogan back in May, quit Germany duty with a lengthy public release in which he claimed to have been treated with ‘racism and disrespect’.
He felt he had been made a scapegoat for Germany’s worst World Cup performance for 80 years and turned into ‘political propaganda’ while declaring: ‘I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose.’
German Football Association president Reinhard Grindel replied by admitting he felt mistakes were made in handling the controversy, but rejected any claims of racism.
Arsenal produced a blistering last 30 minutes in southeast Asia, scoring four times after Christopher Nkunku had punished Sead Kolasinac’s foul on Timothy Weah from the penalty spot.
French striker Alexandre Lacazette netted a brace before Rob Holding and Eddie Nketiah completed the friendly rout of a youthful PSG side missing most of their senior players.
Next on the pre-season agenda for Arsenal is a meeting with Premier League rivals Chelsea in Dublin on August 1.
They then take on Lazio in Stockholm before beginning the new top-flight season at home to defending champions Manchester City on August 12.