The Dutch footballer was previously suspended by the club for a since-deleted social media post.
German football club Mainz 05 has terminated Anwar El Ghazi’s contract due to social media posts related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In a statement released on Friday, Mainz said El Ghazi’s deal was terminated due to the player’s “comments and posts on social media”, without providing further information.
El Ghazi, 28, was previously suspended by the club over a since-deleted post about the Middle East conflict, but was allowed to return to training earlier this week.
“Stand up for what is right, even if it means standing alone,” El Ghazi said in a social media post after his dismissal.
“The loss of my livelihood is nothing compared to the hell being unleashed on the innocent and vulnerable in Gaza,” he said.
–Anwar El Ghazi (@elghazi1995) November 3, 2023
In a message published on October 27 on social networks, he clarified that “to the extent that my previous statements on social networks have been misunderstood, I would like to clarify that I defend peace and humanity for all”.
Mainz said Monday that they had lifted the suspension and were giving him a second chance, saying he had spoken out against terrorism of all kinds, including that of Hamas, and that he also did not question Israel’s right to exist.
However, in another social media post on Wednesday, El Ghazi said the club released his statement without his permission.
“I have no regrets or remorse for my position,” the player wrote. “I do not distance myself from what I said and I stand, today and always until my last breath, for humanity and the oppressed.”
He issued another statement in which he condemned “the killing of all innocent civilians in Palestine and Israel.”
“Nothing can justify the killing of over 3,500 children in Gaza over the past three weeks…I and we as a world cannot reasonably (sic) remain silent. We must call for an end to the massacres in Gaza now,” the message added.
Before El Ghazi’s dismissal on Friday, German prosecutors had accused him of “disturbing public order by tolerating criminal acts in conjunction with inciting hatred” through his social media posts.