Mario Gomez says he will not play for Besiktas this season

Mario Gomez will not be playing for Besiktas this season.

The rumor mill had increasingly thought he would return to the club that coaxed him out the slump that diminished his reputation after moving to Fiorentina, but the German forward has taken note of recent political events in Turkey and decided he needs to play elsewhere.

In a message to fans on his Facebook page, Gomez explained his reasoning:

I have to tell you Besiktas fans personally that it is very heavy for me that I will not be playing for this great club in front of you wonderful fans in this unique stadium anymore. The reason for this is completely down to the political situation! There are no sporting or any other reasons that have made me make this decision. It is purely down to the terrible events that happened in the last few days. I hope you can understand that! I huge thanks to the club, to you fans and to all the people with whom my family and I had a lot of wonderful times!

The rumor mill has previously suggested Gomez has interest from MLS, and now there is fresh motivation for the gossip-mongers to do their work. He remains, for now, a Fiorentina player, but the expectation remains that he will likely move on as soon as La Viola can find a team able to pay a satisfactory transfer fee and salary.