BEIJING (AP) – China's government said Monday Arsenal forward Mesut Ozil was “blinded and misled” when he criticized Beijing's crackdown on ethnic Muslims in Xinjiang.
The government said Ozil was welcome to visit the northwest region and “look around.”
Chinese state TV canceled the broadcast of Arsenal's game against Manchester City on Sunday after the German-born player criticized mass detentions of ethnic Muslims and the closure of mosques in Xinjiang.
"I don’t know if Mr. Mesut Ozil has ever visited Xinjiang. It seems that he was blinded and misled by some false reports and untrue words," said Geng Shuang, a foreign ministry spokesman.