Sunday, July 13

Metropolitan Police Under Investigation For Watching An Arsenal Match With Mesut Ozil In His Private Hospitality Box.



World Cup star Mesut Ozil watched  a Premier League match with three police officers in his private hospitality box - less than 24 hours after they had quizzed him on suspicion of assault, reports the Sunday People.

The millionaire Arsenal midfielder - who also plays for Germany in tomorrow will play in the  World Cup final against Argentina . He had been questioned by two of the officers the night before amid claims he had attacked a man outside his North London home.

Officers accepting hospitality from a suspect raises serious questions for the Met and bosses are said to be “fuming”.

All three officers - Detective Sergeant Simon Jones, Detective Constable Dean Sliney and detective constable Helen Nicolson - are now set to be questioned by the Met’s professional standards department, who are investigating the allegations.

And it is believed Ozil, 25, who starred in Germany’s extraordinary 7-1 drubbing of Brazil in Tuesday’s World Cup semi-final, may also be quizzed by detectives from the same department after the final in Rio.

Ozil, formerly of Werder Bremen and Real Madrid before joining Arsenal for £42.5million last September, has been one of Germany’s most consistent performers during this World Cup.

He has started all six of his side’s matches so far in Brazil and scored the second goal in their 2-1 extra-time win over Algeria in the second-round.

Detective Sergeant Jones and Detective Constable Sliney, said to be “avid Arsenal fans”, questioned Ozil after freelance photographer Lee Essex, 60, dialled 999 and claimed the star had driven his Porsche into him on the pavement, injuring his arm with a wing mirror on Friday, February 21.

The pictures show the officers, Ozil and his brother Mutlu, who acts as his agent, enjoying Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Sunderland at the club’s luxurious Emirates Stadium just the next day.

Ozil, who did not take part in the match due to an injury, denied the assault allegation claiming that the photographer chased him and hit his car.

On March 28, more than a month after he watched the Sunderland game with the officers, police wrote to Ozil telling him and the complainant that after “careful consideration” no action would be taken.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “In February, officers in Haringey received a complaint from a member of Metropolitan Police staff concerning the attendance of a detective sergeant and two detective constables at a football match on Saturday, 22 February.

“The matter was reported to the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) who are investigating the allegations.

“The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) were informed and are supervising the investigation and the officers are due to be interviewed under caution by detectives from the DPS.

"The investigation is ongoing.”

A spokesman for Ozil declined to comment on the new probe and Arsenal said it was a “private matter”.

Ozil will play centre-stage tomorrow when he faces some of the world’s top players, including Argentina hero Lionel Messi , at the iconic Maracana Stadium.

The match, being screened live on both BBC1 and ITV1, is set to be watched by more than one billion people in more than 300 countries on television around the world.

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