Mainz suspend El Ghazi for ‘unacceptable’ Israel-Gaza post

German football club Mainz on Tuesday said they had suspended player Anwar El Ghazi after the winger made an “unacceptable” comment on the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza on social media.

“El Ghazi took a position on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East that was deemed unacceptable,” the Bundesliga club said in a statement.

Dutch international El Ghazi made the comments in a “since-deleted” post on social media on Sunday night, Mainz said.

“Prior to making this decision, the club and the player had engaged in an in-depth discussion.”

Mainz said they respected that there were “varying perspectives on the decades-long, complex conflict”.

The club were however “distancing themselves from the content of the social media post”, which did not “align with the values of the club”.

In the statement, Mainz did not indicate how long the suspension could last.

AFP

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