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STORY: Referring to shock exits by Germany, Belgium and Denmark, Wenger, speaking during a technical analysis of the group stages by world governing body FIFA, said it was notable the teams that focused on football and started well, like Brazil, France and England, had easier passage to the last 16.

"The teams as well who were mentally ready and had the mindset to focus on the competition and not on political demonstrations," Wenger said.

The Qatar World Cup has seen numerous amounts of political discussion from teams, with some voicing concerns about the host's treatment of migrant labour, its approach to LGBT rights and FIFA's threats to penalise players for political statements.

Germany's soccer federation was the most vocal in pressing for anti-discrimination "OneLove" armbands to be worn by players and said "extreme blackmail" led to Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Wales, England and Switzerland abandoning plans to wear them.

Before their surprise opening defeat by Japan, the German team posed for a pre-match photo with their hands on their mouths, alluding to them being silenced by FIFA.