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Rabat – Morocco’s international football player Noussair Mazraoui continues to face pressure at German club Bayern Munich due to his support for Palestine amid Israel’s unrelenting and merciless bombing of the besieged Gaza Strip.
Fabrizio Romano, a widely respected and reliable sports journalist, announced the news earlier today, saying that the football player is “not training with the Bayern’s team today.”
The football player also had a conversation with the club’s management following his pro-Palestine post on social media.
“Both sides have clearly and plainly exchanged their positions,” Romano said.
Mazraoui has faced extreme harassment in recent years for expressing his solidarity with Palestine on social networks.
Several German media outlets have harshly criticized the football player, accusing him of “supporting terrorism.”
Bild, Germany’s leading tabloid, was among the most vicious critics of Mazraoui’s support for Palestine. “Supporter of Terrorism on the pitch? Unbearable!” was the tabloid’s headline as it took issue with the Moroccan right-back’s expression iif solidarity with Palestinians.
Following such vitriolic reporting, Bayern Munich almost immediately joined the harassment campaign via a press release, stating that it had promptly contacted the player and expressed its intention to engage in an “in-depth personal discussion” with him upon his return to Munich.
“Everyone, including each employee and each player, knows the values that FC Bayern stands for. We have already made these values public and unequivocally expressed them,” the club said.
Many Muslim football players have faced similar pressure and harassment from international media.
Youcef Atal, an Algerian international soccer player, is one of the Muslim soccer players who has been suspended because of his pro-Palestinian stance. French club Nice suspended him for posting a video on Instagram, showing support for Palestine.
“Given the nature of the publication shared [by Atal], and its seriousness, the club has taken the decision to take immediate disciplinary action against the player, prior to any action that may be taken by sporting and legal authorities,” the club said in a statement.
