GERMAN star Mesut Ozil’s decision to quit the national team due to “racism and disrespect” he faced over his Turkish roots triggered a bad-tempered public debate Monday about the country’s relations with its largest immigrant community.

The most prominent German politician of Turkish origin said it would be difficult for the head of the national soccer association to stay in the role, adding that Ozil’s departure would only be welcomed by those who opposed diversity.

Ozil’s announcement on social media late Sunday led national newspapers to clear their front pages for the midfielder, 29, a key member of Germany’s World Cup-winning side in 2014 — and also of the side eliminated at the group stage of the 2018 tournament in Russia.

The player, who came under fire for having his photograph taken with Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan in May, was especially piqued by criticism from German Football Association (DFB) head Reinhard Grindel, who he said blamed him for Germany crashing out of this year’s tournament.

Cem Ozdemir, the former head of the Greens party and the most prominent politician of Turkish background, said it would be difficult for Grindel to do his job in the future given the diverse reality of Germany and its soccer team.

“It will be very hard for Grindel after this,” he told Deutschlandfunk radio. “He doesn’t reflect the breadth of football in Germany and so it will be hard for German Turks, or indeed German Croats, to feel that the DFB is theirs.”

Former DFB President Theo Zwanziger was quoted in German media as saying the DFB had not done enough to solve conflicts ahead of the World Cup.

“Communication mistakes mean something happened that should never happen to migrants: They should never feel like second-class Germans,” he said, adding: “Ozil’s resignation is a major setback for integration efforts beyond football in our country.”

The DFB said it regretted Ozil’s departure but rejected his accusations of racism, saying it had for years helped to integrate people with migrant backgrounds and would continue to do so, adding: “The DFB stands for diversity.”

A spokeswoman for Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday that most of the roughly three million people with Turkish roots living in Germany were well-integrated.

She said Germany was a “cosmopolitan country” where people with migrant backgrounds were welcome and sport played a big role in integration.(SD-Agencies)