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Pro Evolution Soccer
Category:
News
Platform: PC
Platform: PlayStation
Platform: Xbox

Soccer Star Ozil Removed From Chinese Version of Pro Evolution Soccer 2020 After Highlighting Human Rights Abuses

Image of Aidan O'Brien
Aidan O'Brien
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Published: Dec 19, 2019 03:13 pm

This article is over 4 years old and may contain outdated information

 “The speech hurt the feelings of Chinese fans and violated the sports spirit of love and peace,” says publisher NetEase.

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Arsenal Football Club midfielder Mesut Ozil has been removed from the Chinese version of Pro Evolution Soccer 2020. NetEase, which publishes the Pro Evolution Soccer series in China, removed the star player after he spoke out in support of the Uighur Muslim population there.

Ozil made supportive comments toward the Uighurs in the wake of U.N. reports of human rights abuses toward Uighurs in China’s western Xinjiang region via his Twitter account. A German Muslim of Turkish descent, Ozil accused the Chinese government of burning Korans and tearing down Mosques, calling Uighurs “warriors who resist persecution.”

His criticism did not go down well in China, with some fans burning his jersey, and lots of discontent with the comments appearing on social media.

NetEase posted a statement to the Chinese social network site Weibo. “The German player Ozil posted an extreme statement about China on social media,” it said. “The speech hurt the feelings of Chinese fans and violated the sports spirit of love and peace. We do not understand, accept, or forgive this.”

Arsenal, the Premier League club that Ozil plays for, has described the club as “apolitical” in an attempt to sidestep some of the backlash from Chinese fans, while China’s foreign ministry has claimed that the player is being “deceived by fake news.” China is an incredibly important market for the Premier League, with the television rights to matches in the region selling for $700 million for a three-year deal a few years back.

Konami, the developer of the Pro Evolution Soccer series, has yet to comment.

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Author
Image of Aidan O'Brien
Aidan O'Brien
Aidan O'Brien has been playing games for over three decades and has been writing about them for five years. When not getting stomped on by the creations of Hidetaka Miyazaki, he enjoys spending too much time in Warframe, Destiny 2 and any other ARPG with a solid grind. When not writing, he is doing inexplicable behind-the-scenes magic for GAMURS Group.