The DFB said the two players paused their holidays to meet with the organisation's President, Reinhard Grindel.

Germany national team head coach Joachim Löw, general manager Oliver Bierhoff and DFB secretary general Friedrich Curtius were also present.

The meeting was brought about after Grindel expressed concerns that the two Premier League players could be exploited for Erdogan’s Presidential campaign.

They said the politician did not stand for values that are respected by the DFB.

Both players, who are of Turkish descent, joined Everton's Turkish international striker Cenk Tosun in presenting Erdogan with a football shirt from their respective clubs.

They then posed for photos during a meeting with him at the Four Seasons Hotel in London on May 13.

Gündogan's shirt attracted particular attention as it included the message "with great respect for my President".

Erdogan is up for reelection next month, but in the four-years since his election, Turkey has repeatedly been accused of human rights violations with large crackdowns on free press and social media leading to the imprisonment of several journalists.

Grindel stated the players and DFB had agreed they did not want to send a political message.

"Mesut Özil and Ilkay Gündogan deserve respect and recognition for the fact that they personally wanted to clear the air," he said.

"I have to say too that speaking with our players openly and honestly is important for us as a governing body.

"We both agreed that we didn't want these actions to send a political message.

"At the same time, the players emphasised that they believe in our values on and off the pitch.

"The DFB have values which we have continually stressed and we believe our players have a duty to be role models for the youth in Germany.

"I hope that Die Mannschaft can now focus on preparing for the World Cup and we can talk about the players due to their performances on the pitch once more."

Both players have been selected in Germany's 23-man squad for the FIFA World Cup in Russia next month, as they seek to defend the title won in Brazil four years ago.

Gündogan will head into the tournament on a high having been part of a dominant Manchester City team, who claimed the Premier League title.

Compatriot Özil has been part of an Arsenal side, which have had an indifferent season, as they finished 12 points adrift of qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League.

They also finished 14 points behind their arch rivals Tottenham.

Gündogan and Özil are now set to put their thoughts towards the World Cup, which will begin on June 14.

"Thank you to the DFB President and the DFB as a whole for meeting with us," Gündogan said.

"After all the reports this week, I'm glad that we could personally share our concerns.

"I told them how I belong to Germany and the Germany national team but have a Turkish side due to my family.

"Now, we need to focus on what we do best again: football, not on politics."

The two players also held a seperate meeting with Steinmeier.

The German President wrote on Facebook that the duo met with him to clear up "misunderstandings".

The situation has taken place with Turkey and Germany bidding against each other to stage the 2024 UEFA European Championships.

At a media briefing to promote Turkey's bid, Turkish Football Federation vice-president and UEFA Executive Committee member Servet Yardımcı denied that the federation would be using players of Turkish descent to promote their bid.