DFB president Reinhard Grindel believes Arsenal star playmaker Mesut Ozil owes Germany supporters an explanation.
Grindel has stated that the 29-year-old must explain why he met Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead of the 2018 World Cup.
Ozil and Gundogan caused controversy in the lead up to the competition after posing for a photo with Turkey’s President.
Germany subsequently crashed out of the World Cup in the group stage following defeats to both South Korea and Mexico.
Ozil played the full 90 minutes during both of Germany’s defeats but did create seven goalscoring chances for his teammates against Korea.
The 29-year-old’s father believes Ozil has been scapegoated by Germany and even called for his son to retire from the national team.
However, DFB president Reinhard Grindel has indicated that the matter had not been closed by the DFB.
“It’s true that Mesut has not commented yet, which has disappointed many fans because they have questions and expect an answer, and they rightly expect that answer,” Grindel told Kicker.
“So it’s very clear to me that Mesut, when he returns from vacation, should also publicly give his view.
“We also want to wait and see how Mesut gets involved. It’s fair we give a well-deserved international who made a mistake a chance.”
With Löw set to stay in charge despite Germany’s group stage exit in Russia, Grindel said Özil’s international future will be in the coach’s hands.
“It comes down to the athletic analysis of the national coach,” the DFB president added.
“In fact, I hope that Özil’s opinion is so clear that the questions of the fans and the association are answered.”
Ozil is set to return to training with Arsenal in the coming weeks to begin preparations for the upcoming 2018/19 Premier League season.