Former Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil was suspended by Fenerbahce on Thursday morning for reportedly having a verbal altercation with interim manager Ismail Kartal.
The alleged incident happened during Fenerbahce's 2-1 home victory against second-place Konyaspor on Sunday. Ozil, 33, was hauled off at half-time by Kartal and it's unclear what was said between the two. Fenerbahce are currently third in the table.
"Our 'Football A Team' players Mesut Ozil and Ozan Tufan have been excluded from the squad as per the decision taken," read a statement from the Turkish outfit, published on social media. "It is announced to the public."
Ozil and his team-mate Ozan Tufan, who recently returned from a loan spell at Premier League outfit Watford, have both been kicked out of Fenerbahce's squad and will not be available for selection or allowed to train with the first team until further notice.
According to football.london, Ozil will be forced to find a new club in the summer if the situation can't be resolved soon. The ex-Germany international still has 27 months remaining on his existing deal and is reportedly earning £3.5million per year.
There is no guarantee Kartal will still be in charge of Fenerbahce next season, however, and a new manager could reintegrate Ozil. It's only 14 months since his Arsenal contract was cancelled after falling out of favour with manager Mikel Arteta.
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Ozil was criticised by Fenerbahce's president last year. "Since the start of this season, Mesut Ozil has been compared to Robin van Persie," said Ali Koc. "Ozil wants to play more. From now on, he needs to focus on his game and keep his commercial interests out of it.
"He needs to think about contributing to Fenerbahce. Our coach also needs to try to figure out how to get the most out of Ozil. There is not a problem, despite what the media says. Mesut is unhappy because he does not play regularly."
Ozil, who's scored eight goals in 22 Super Lig appearances this season, has previously represented Schalke, Werder Bremen, Real Madrid and the Gunners. His trophy cabinet includes La Liga, the World Cup and three FA Cups - among other honours.
Fenerbahce recently denied Ozil had gone on strike due to unpaid wages, with the club reportedly £300m in debt. "The news that Mesut Ozil did not play because his debts from the club were not paid have nothing to do with the facts," read a statement.
"As we have often experienced, this kind of fake news that is created completely haphazardly without being confirmed by any official from our club is beyond our tolerance limit... payments have been made on time until now."
Fenerbahce are one of Turkey's biggest clubs, winning the league title a record 28 times (16 of those coming in the Super Lig era). They've also won 26 national cups, but haven't lifted any silverware since their Turkish Super Cup triumph in 2014.
