Mesut Ozil’s Erkut Sogut slammed Germany international trio Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller and Toni Kroos over comments made following the Arsenal star’s decision to quit international football.

Ozil cited racism and discrimination as being important factors behind his decision to retire from the Germany national team in a 2,000 word three-part statement shared on social media.

Kroos told the newspaper Bild that there was a “lot of nonsense” in the statement made by the playmaker of Turkish origin.

Sogut said the trio were either “naive or scheming” in their responses to the statement and he also defended Ozil for being photographed with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Ozil, Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan and Everton forward Cenk Tosun met Erdogan at a meal organised by the Turkish state in London which did not go down well in Germany.

Speaking to the German magazine 11Freunde, Sogut said: “Neuer indirectly accused Mesut of not having worn the German jersey with pride. This is unacceptable. Müller did not understand the whole discussion. And Kroos, as a seasoned national team player, should explain what he means by ‘nonsense’.”

“There are only two explanations: they are either naive or scheming.”

Müller had said that that racism in the Germany camp was “absolutely out of the question”.

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Neuer, Kroos and Germany’s manager, Joachim Low, meanwhile said there was no racist behaviour in the team.

Sogut said: “Low defends himself against an accusation that has never actually been made: Mesut has not been racially abused from within the team but from the midst of German society. The German football association should have been more protective in this case.”

Sogut also made it clear that Ozil was well within his right to meet Erdogan and that he did nothing wrong.

“Mesut did not make any mistakes,” Sogut said of Özil’s meeting with Erdoğan.

“That’s how it stays. It is just a matter of respect and courtesy to agree to meet the president of Turkey when he requests it. The two of them have met regularly over the past eight years. It has never been a problem before for the German public.”

“Should we tell Mesut: ‘You cannot meet with the president – but maybe in two months’ time’? That really does not make any sense.”

Sogut also denied persuading or dissuading Ozil into attending the meeting with the Turkish president.

“Why should I? Mesut is old enough, he knows what he is doing. And he has known the president far longer than he knows me,” he added.