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Rabat – German football club Mainz 05 has lost its appeal in a case brought by Dutch-Moroccan winger Anwar El Ghazi over his 2023 dismissal.
The Bundesliga club terminated El Ghazi’s contract in November 2023 after he made social media posts about the Israeli genocide in Gaza. His posts included the slogan “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
In July 2024, a German court ruled that Mainz had wrongfully terminated El Ghazi’s contract, stating that his statements were protected under freedom of expression. The club appealed, but the Rhineland-Palatinate State Labor Court upheld the original decision on Wednesday.
The original ruling ordered the club to compensate El Ghazi with a payment of €1.5 million.
“We have to accept the court’s decision,” Mainz chairman Stefan Hofmann said. “However, we stand by our position: Based on the values and convictions that define Mainz 05, the continued employment of individuals who express and behave in fundamental contradiction to these values will remain out of the question,” he added.
After winning his case, El Ghazi pledged €500,000 of his pay-off to projects helping children in Gaza affected by the Israeli genocide. He said in July 2024, “I hope Mainz, despite their repeated failed attempts to avoid making the due payment, take solace from the knowledge that they have, through me, contributed financially in trying to make life a little more bearable for the children of Gaza.”
The 30-year-old forward, who previously played for Ajax, Lille, Aston Villa, and Everton, joined Cardiff City after leaving Mainz and now plays for Al-Sailiya in Qatar.
Several other players have encountered similar harassment and career repercussions for expressing solidarity with Palestine.
These include Moroccan football player Noussair Mazraoui, who received harsh criticism from German media and was accused of supporting terrorism.
Meanwhile, France’s Minister of the Interior Gerald Darmanin accused player Karim Benzema of having ties with the “Muslim Brotherhood” after he expressed support for Palestine.
