Anwar El Ghazi Kicked Out Of Mainz For Supporting Palestine

German Bundesliga club, Mainz have terminated the contract of Dutch winger, Anwar El Ghazi after posting what appears to be showing support for Palestine in October.

Recall that Anwar El Ghazi joined Mainz on a free transfer in the summer and has played three games since he arrived in Germany.

On October 17, the club suspended him after he made a post over the ongoing Israel and Gaza conflict. He had to delete the post since it was suspected that it was pro-Palestinian.

On Monday, October 30, Mainz announced that they had lifted the ban placed on him over the social media post but in a stunning u-turn, they announced the termination of his contract on Friday, November 3 with “immediate effect”.

The club’s statement read, “FSV Mainz 05 is ending the contractual relationship with Anwar El Ghazi and terminated the player with immediate effect on Friday. The club is taking this measure in response to the player’s statements and posts on social media.”

Note that Mainz was founded by a Jewish, Eugen Salomon, and the club’s stadium is currently named after him.

The founder was forced out of the club by the Nazis in 1933 and died in the Holocaust in 1942.

He and about six million Jews perished in the Holocaust, which was perpetrated by Nazi Germany during World War Two.

Hence, due to the connection the club has with Israel, they took Anwar El Ghazi’s alleged pro-Palestinian comments on social media big enough to terminate his contract.

After his contract was terminated, El Ghazi took to social media to write: “‘Stand for what is right, even if it means standing alone'”.

He added: “The loss of my livelihood is nothing when compared to the hell being unleashed on the innocent and vulnerable in Gaza.”