German fourth-tier club Rot-Weiss Essen have upset the operators of their stadium by saying they would buy free drinks for their supporters if they were to receive a windfall from a potential Mesut Ozil transfer.
Ozil, 27, started his career at Essen before making the switch to Schalke, based in his hometown of Gelsenkirchen, at the age of 16.
Three years later, having played in 30 matches for the Royal Blues' first team, he moved on to Werder Bremen in 2008 and then Real Madrid in 2010.
When the Germany international joined Arsenal from Madrid in 2013 for a record-breaking transfer fee of €50 million, all three German clubs profited from his move to the Emirates Stadium.
According to FIFA regulations, Essen received €750,000 -- a 30 percent share of the total training compensation of €2.5m, which represented five percent of the transfer fee.
The club, currently battling to avoid relegation from the regional fourth tier, are now hoping for another payday following speculation Ozil could return to Spain with Barcelona.
Local publication Reviersport reported that Essen club president Michael Welling promised fans that, should Essen receive a windfall from a sale, he will "buy everyone a round of drinks at the stadium."
However, Welling's remark has upset the operator of the stadium, GVE, which responded to his remark in a letter that was published in part by Reviersport.
The city-owned real estate company suggested to Welling that the potential windfall would be better spent on helping the SGB, a company organising sports facilities in Essen, get out of debt than on buying drinks for fans.
GVE CEO Dirk Miklikowski said that Welling's comments "have led to major irritations with me and the shareholders [the city of Essen] considering that you consequently defy an economic recovery of the SBG related to the use of the stadium."
Welling, though, told Reviersport that he promised fans the free drinks over a year ago, adding: "I stand by my word."