Dutch striker Anwar el-Ghazi during a Premier League match between Manchester United and Aston Villa at Old Trafford, January 1, 2021. (Credit: Carl Recine/AFP)
Former striker for the German club Mainz, Dutch player Anwar el-Ghazi, whose contract was terminated last November, won his case by successfully overturning his dismissal through a local labor court, as reported by German media on Friday.
Having played in English and French leagues, the Moroccan-origin player faced legal repercussions for a pro-Palestinian Instagram post on Oct. 17, 2023. This came ten days after the Hamas attack in Israel and the beginning of the Gaza conflict. The post concluded with the statement: "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," — a controversial slogan viewed by some as advocating for Israel's destruction and by others as promoting equal rights between Palestinians and Israelis.
El-Ghazi asserted: 'I have no regrets'
After initially suspending el-Ghazi, the club from Rhineland-Palatinate in western Germany had indicated readiness to reinstate him, stating that the player had distanced himself from the message during several discussions with the club's management, and had deleted the post shortly afterward.
In response, the player asserted, "I have no regrets or remorse about my position."
This statement was deemed unacceptable by Mainz — the Bundesliga 13th-placed club and Germany's top division — prompting the club to terminate his contract immediately.
"Defend what is right, even if it means standing alone. The loss of my livelihood is nothing compared to the hell unleashed on the innocent and vulnerable in Gaza. Stop the massacre," declared the 29-year-old player.
Shortly after, the German judiciary charged him with "disturbing public order by approving offenses related to hate speech," as explained by the Koblenz prosecutor to the German sports news agency SID.
Eight months later, the forward finally prevailed. According to the local labor court's president, Bettina Chaudhry, el-Ghazi's statements fall under "freedom of expression," rendering his dismissal unjustified. The labor court ordered that the player be compensated with $1.85 million and reinstated. The player, who made only two appearances and played just 51 minutes across three league matches since joining Mainz on September 22 last year, is unlikely to return to the club.
Since his suspension, el-Ghazi organized a charity match with the Muslim athletes' association Nujum to raise funds for the NGO Save the Children in Gaza. The match featured participation from former French internationals Éric Abidal and Bacary Sagna.
Atal convicted, Benzema's complaint 'dismissed without further action'
El-Ghazi is not the only player of Arab descent to have faced disciplinary action for statements related to the Gaza war. In France, Algerian international defender Youcef Atal was also sidelined by OGC Nice for sharing a video on Instagram shortly after Oct. 7, featuring a preacher that was deemed "antisemitic." He was sentenced to an eight-month suspended prison term and fined €45,000 by a French court before being released by OGC Nice and subsequently joining the Turkish club Adana Demirspor.
For posting a mid-October message on X in support of Gaza residents, whom he described as victims of "unjust bombings" by Israel, Karim Benzema also drew the ire of the French political class. The 2022 Ballon d'Or winner was targeted by France's Interior Minister, Gerald Darmanin, who suggested that Benzema's stance could be explained by his "notorious links" with the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist organization born in Egypt and from which the Palestinian Hamas movement originates.
Since last summer, Benzema has been playing for the Saudi Arabian club al-Ittihad in Jeddah. He subsequently sued Darmanin for defamation, arguing that the accusations were "inaccurate," "presumably false, but in any case made deliberately" and "injurious." However, the complaint was dismissed without further action in January by the prosecutor general at the Court of Cassation.
342 Palestinian Athletes Killed Since October 7
According to a count by the Palestinian Football Association (PFA), 342 Palestinian male and female athletes, including 240 involved with soccer clubs, have been killed in the Gaza Strip and West Bank since Oct. 7. The latest casualty is Shadi Abu al-Araj, the goalkeeper for the Shabab Khan Younes team, whose death was confirmed on Sunday, July 14.
The PFA lodged a complaint with FIFA on May 17, calling for Israel to be suspended for "violations of international law committed by the Israeli occupation in Palestine, particularly in Gaza," and citing breaches of FIFA statutes relating to human rights and discrimination.
After initially postponing its response to the complaint filed by the Palestinian FA — a full member of FIFA since 1998 — FIFA President Gianni Infantino has promised that an extraordinary meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on July 25 to address the issue.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour and translated by Tasnim Chaaban
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