Arsenal Football Club has released a statement on Weibo – a leading Chinese social media site – regarding player Mesut Özil's remarks on China's Xinjiang.

"Regarding the comments made by Mesut Özil on social media, Arsenal must make a clear statement: The content published is all Özil's personal opinion. As a football club, Arsenal has always stood in line with the principle of not involving itself in politics."

On December 14, The Chinese Football Association (CFA) expressed great indignation and disappointment at the Turkish-German footballer's comments on Xinjiang, according to an organization official cited by local media.

Özil, born in 1988 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, has played for Arsenal since 2013. He retired from German football after returning from the 2018 Russia World Cup.

The player made Xinjiang remarks on several of his social media accounts, stirring up disappointment and indignation among many Chinese football fans and the Chinese people, as commented by the CFA official. In response, Arsenal released the statement in order to distance itself, in hopes of limiting any potential damage to its business in China.

To learn more, please read: Fighting terrorism in Xinjiang

All you need to know about China's white paper on Xinjiang history and culture issues