Anwar El Ghazi deal with the German soccer team Mainz 05 terminated due to the postings he made on social media over the ongoing war in Gaza. El Ghazi’s contract was terminated yesterday, Mainz announced in a press release, citing “comments and posts from the player on social media” as the reason. No more details were provided.
The club had already suspended 28-year player, for a since-deleted tweet about the Middle East war. Nevertheless, early this week, he was permitted to go back to field. In a post on Instagram following his dismissal, El Ghazi stated, “Stand for what is right, even if it means standing alone.”
El Ghazi also explained that he does not regret what he was involved in explaining that “the loss of my livelihood is nothing when compared to the hell being unleashed on the innocent and vulnerable in Gaza.”
“To the extent my previous statements on social media have been misunderstood, I would like to make clear that I stand for peace and humanity for all,” he stated in a message on the same platform on October 27.
On October 30, Mainz announced that they were lifting the suspension and offering him another opportunity. The club stated the Dutch player did not mean to challenge the legitimacy of Israel to exist at all and that he stood against terror in all its forms.
Two days later, El Ghazi claimed that the club had released the release without getting his consent in another social media message. “I do not regret or have any remorse for my position. I do not distance myself from what I said and I stand, today and always until my last breath, for humanity and the oppressed,” he stressed using an assertive tone.
El Ghazi Insists
In a different statement later, he denounced the murder of any innocent citizen in Israel and Palestine. He explained that “there can never be any justification for the killing of over 3,500 children in Gaza in the last three weeks.” he called to the world to get involved saying that “I and we as a world cannot conscionably (sic) remain silent. We must call for an end to the killing in Gaza now.”
El Ghazi was charged by German prosecutors of unsettling public order by endorsing criminal activity prior to his dismissal on Friday. They asserted that El Ghazi’s comments on social media were actual instances of inciting hate.
In a similar crackdown on criticisms over Gaza condition by groups active in soccer, Al-Hilal club in Saudi Arabia was forced to remove a post on X. The club had expressed concerns for the circumstance of people in the besieged Gazsa and called for peace. People and journalists who shared the post were also forcefully made to apologize then.
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