Ozil, who was invited to the desert kingdom by Prince Ali, a half-brother of Jordan’s King Abdullah II and who ran but failed to be elected president of FIFA, said he was “full of emotion” at making the visit.
Zaatari camp, 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of the capital Amman, is home to some 80,000 refugees from the brutal war in neighbouring Syria.
Playing football with some children in Zaatari refugee camp/Jordan.⚽ #TheLoveOfTheGame #SportConnectsPeople pic.twitter.com/TpUooqWNVA
— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) May 18, 2016
Prince Ali issued a statement praising his “friend” Ozil as “a source of inspiration for many people”.
“I’ve seen with my own eyes how football can be a positive force for young refugees,” he said.
Next stop of my journey: Amman/Jordan with my friend Prince Ali ☺😉👍 @AliBinAlHussein pic.twitter.com/9G20PuPKSk
— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) May 17, 2016
Ozil, who is lined up to play in this summer’s Euro 2016 tournament, also took part in a training session at an Amman stadium for Jordan’s under-17 girls team competing in a World Cup for their age group to be held in the Arab state from September 30 to October 21.
