Mainz has suspended a player for supporting the Palestinian people

Mainz announced the suspension of its player Anwar El Ghazi for publishing a message on his Instagram account in which he showed his solidarity with the Palestinian people in the conflict with Israel.

“1.FSV Mainz has decided to exclude Anwar El Ghazi from training and matches. The decision follows a deleted post published on social media on Sunday night. The club considers unacceptable,” the German club said in a statement. this.

“Before making the decision, the club and the player had an in-depth discussion,” the note continued before concluding: “Mainz 05 respects the fact that there are different views on the complex conflict over the decades. in the Middle East. However, the club is moving away from the content of the message in question, as it does not match the values ​​of the club.”

In his Instagram post, El Ghazi refused to call the Hamas attack on Israel a war. “This is not war,” he wrote, referring to the situation as “genocide” and “massive destruction.”

The Ghazi, striker of Moroccan origin who was born in the Netherlands 28 years ago, He has dual nationality and, despite being twice international with the ‘Oranje’ team, he is considering the possibility of representing Morocco at the final 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

He arrived in Mainz in September

Trained at Feyenoord, Sparta Rotterdam and Ajax, El Ghazi debuted with the ‘ajacied’ first team in 2014 before moving to Lille in 2017. He also played for Aston Villa (2018-2022), Everton (2022), PSV Eindhoven (2022-2023) and on September 22 he arrived in Mainz with a letter of freedom through of signing a two -period contract.

Since then El Ghazi He played three games as a substitute for Mainz, penultimate in the Bundesliga with only two points in seven rounds played, so they have yet to release their victory tally.