Mainz’s Anwar El Ghazi to have his contract terminated?
“Former Aston Villa winger Anwar El Ghazi is reportedly set to have his contract with Mainz terminated over pro-Palestinian social media posts that have since been deleted,” the Daily Mail reported on April 28 (KST).
Mainz 05 announced on the club’s website on Aug. 18 (local time): “Mainz announces the exclusion of Anwar El Ghazi from matches and training. This is in response to a post on social media, which has now been deleted as of Sunday evening.”
El Ghazi, who only joined Mainz in September, has shared pro-Palestinian posts on his Instagram Stories. Israel is currently at war with Hamas, the terrorist organization that rules the Palestinian territory of Gaza.
Mainz, who signed with El Ghazi last month, deleted the post, but still decided to take action. Mainz said: “El Ghazi has taken a position on the conflict in the Middle East that the club finds intolerable. The disciplinary action was taken prior to further discussions between the board and the player.”
“Mainz 05 respects that there are many different perspectives on the complex Middle East conflict that has lasted for decades, but the club clearly distances itself from the content of the post as it does not reflect our values,” they added.
El Ghazi has been accused of sharing posts accusing Israel of genocide, censoring content on social media, and using artificial intelligence photos to spread misinformation. Israel has rejected all of these claims.
Now, after a meeting on Thursday of this week, Mainz have 토토 decided to cancel their contract with El Ghazi, which runs until 2025. Mainz said El Ghazi refused to apologize and told the club’s head that he ‘stands for peace and humanity for all victims of war’.
El Ghazi is one of the few players who have spoken out about the ongoing Israel-Gaza crisis. Mainz have yet to comment after releasing a statement on the suspension.