Dhe FSV Mainz 05 is now making it possible for professional footballer Anwar El Ghazi, who was initially released, to return. The 28-year-old Dutchman will return to training and games soon, the Bundesliga club announced this Monday. El Ghazi was warned for publishing a post on social media two weeks ago. The people of Mainz initially reacted harshly to a pro-Palestine post by El Ghazi on Instagram that has since been deleted.
“Against the background of El Ghazi’s commitment and the remorse he has shown, the club’s culture of dealing with mistakes requires that the player be given a chance for rehabilitation,” Mainz said in a statement. The bottom of the table without a win this season currently only has a few strikers available due to various failures.
El Ghazi “distanced himself from Hamas acts”
El Ghazi backed away from his post in several conversations. “In this context, El Ghazi clearly distanced himself from terrorist acts such as those by Hamas (…),” said the Zero Fives. “He stressed his sympathy for the victims of this attack as well as for all victims of this conflict. He credibly made it clear that he does not question Israel’s right to exist.” Initially, Mainz 05 said that El Ghazi had “taken a position on the conflict in the Middle East in a way that was intolerable for the club.”
The war in the Middle East was triggered by an unprecedented attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7th. Thousands of civilians have been killed on both sides since the conflict began. More than 200 hostages are being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
El Ghazi shared on Instagram, among other things, the saying “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” The phrase is also often used by Hamas. What is meant is that Palestine should extend from the Jordan to the Mediterranean, thus denying Israel its right to exist.
In the conversation with El Ghazi, the board emphasized “unambiguously” that “it requires its employees to commit to the club’s canon of values.” This includes a “special responsibility towards the State of Israel and the Jewish people” through German history and the history of the club with the Jewish co-founder Eugen Salomon.
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