Mainz of the German Football League announced this Friday that it has terminated the contract of its player Anwar El-Ghazi after a judicial investigation was launched based on reports of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The Koblenz prosecutor’s office opened an investigation following Instagram posts in which the player supported Palestinians, ending with the phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, understood by some as a call for the destruction of Israel. and by others as a call for equal rights between Palestinians and Israelis.
Now online
According to the Koblenz justice, El-Ghazi allegedly committed “incitement to hatred” in the messages in question, published on 17 October.
El Ghazi had already been suspended by the club, which said it was ready to reinstate him because in meetings with Mainz management he “distanced himself from a message published on his Instagram account, which was deleted a few minutes later.”
The Dutch international midfielder confirmed his position on Wednesday, also in an Instagram post: “I have no regrets or remorse regarding my position. I am not distancing myself from what I said or what I defend this Friday. rightly and until my last breath for the sake of humanity and the oppressed.”
El-Ghazi, who was without a club, was signed by Mainz on September 22 and played 51 minutes in three Bundesliga matches.
Israel launched the war to “destroy” Hamas in response to the unprecedented October 7 attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement, whose elements killed at least 1,400 people, most of them Israeli civilians, near the border with the Gaza Strip.
According to Israeli authorities, at least 240 hostages were captured and remain in Palestinian territory.
The balance released this Friday by Hamas totals 9,227 deaths, of which 3,826 are children, as a result of the bombing of the Gaza Strip by Israeli forces.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.