CHINA — In response to Mesut Ozil's tweets condemning China for its treatment of Uyghurs, the country has removed the Arsenal midfielder entierly from the Chinese version of the popular video game franchise, Pro Evolution Soccer.

NetEase, the publisher of PES, said Ozil had also been deleted from three existing titles too.

In a statement on Weibo, they said, "The German player Ozil posted an extreme statement about China on social media. The speech hurt the feelings of Chinese fans and violated the sports spirit of love and peace. We do not understand, accept or forgive this!"

Ozil's club, Arsenal has since distanced themselves from Ozil's comments and branded themselves as "apolitical."