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The ongoing row between Mesut Ozil and the Chinese government has escalated after traces of the Arsenal star were deleted from the internet and the club were warned of "serious implications".

Ozil spoke out against China's alleged persecution of the Uighur Muslim population in the region of Xianjiang, leading the Gunners to distance themselves from his comments.

The German playmaker has had his M10 fan club in China shut down, as well as his social media accounts on Chinese sites Weibo and Douyin deleted plus all traces of his name removed from search engine Baidu, according to The Athletic .

Arsenal's clash with Manchester City was pulled from Chinese TV channel CCTV in response to Ozil's comments.

An editorial by The Global Times, which has strong links to the ruling Communist Party of China, branded his comments "clownish" and warned the move will have "serious implications" for Arsenal.

(Image: PA)

It says: "[A] person who is confused, reckless in abusing (his) influence, easily incited and willing to incite others.

"Ozil's move has ruined his image among Chinese fans and will have serious implications for Arsenal.

"Chinese people should see clearly that what Ozil did this time was a 'clownish performance'."

According to the same newspaper, the Chinese FA said: "Ozil's comments not only hurt his Chinese fans but also hurt the feelings of the Chinese people."

(Image: Getty Images)

It has been claimed fans burned Arsenal shirts in response to Ozil's comments and branded him a range of insults including a "dirty ant" on Weibo.

Ozil's controversial post on Instagram said: “East Turkistan, the bleeding wound of the Ummah, resisting against the persecutors trying to separate them from their religion.

"They burn their Qurans. They shut down their mosques. They ban their schools. They kill their holy men.

"The men are forced into camps and their families are forced to live with Chinese men. The women are forced to marry Chinese men.

“But Muslims are silent. They won’t make a noise. They have abandoned them. Don’t they know that giving consent for persecution is persecution itself?”

Distancing themselves from his comments, an Arsenal statement read: “Regarding the comments made by Mesut Özil on social media, Arsenal must make a clear statement.

“The content published is Özil’s personal opinion. As a football club, Arsenal has always adhered to the principle of not involving itself in politics.”