El Ghazi opens up on his sacking ordeal at Mainz after pro-Palestine posts

Anwar El Ghazi admitted he was left in shock after being sacked by Mainz over a series of social media posts on the Israel-Gaza conflict, before a German court ruled his contract had been wrongfully terminated by the club.

El Ghazi, 29, took a wrongful dismissal claim to the Labour Court of Mainz last season after his deal was ripped up on November 2, 2023. In July, he won the case and subsequently received a payment worth around £1.3million from the club.

He pledged to donate €500,000 (£417,000) to projects supporting children in Gaza.

Mainz, who will appeal the decision, originally suspended the player on October 17 after he posted a message including the controversial phrase 'from the river to the sea', which some critics believe implies the destruction of Israel, on social media.

However, the interpretation has been disputed by some pro-Palestinian activists who say that those who use the message are instead calling for an end to Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, and not the destruction of the state itself.

El Ghazi's lawyer insisted his post was protected by freedom of speech despite Mainz declaring that the winger's position on the conflict was not 'tolerable' for the club.

'This isn't a conflict and it's not a war,' his post, which was shared on his Instagram story, had concluded. 'This is genocide and mass destruction and we're witnessing it happen live. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.'

Opening up on his ordeal for the first time since winning in court, El Ghazi told The Athletic: 'It was during the international window when we got a few days off.

'I was just on the sofa crying because of the images - horrific images and videos - I'd been seeing of dead children and dead people in Gaza.

'I got really emotional and, yeah, I felt the urge to post something.'

El Ghazi says he has been 'against war and violence', 'against antisemitism' and 'for peace above everything', motivating him to post in support of Palestinians.

His suspension was initially lifted after Mainz declared he had 'distanced himself from his post' in talks with the club, and that he 'regretted' publishing it. However, El Ghazi subsequently responded that this was in fact not the case.

The club's official reason for his sacking was 'comments and posts' on social media.

'My family always taught me to do the right thing if that's what you think is right, to stand up for justice,' El Ghazi said. 'It's a sensitive case for a lot of people.

'People are afraid. I know loads of players who just don't want to talk about it because they know they'll get in trouble over it.

'And I was like, "Why should we get in trouble?". If you see dead children, dead people, how can you live with yourself if you don't speak out?'

He added: 'Obviously, I didn't expect this reaction. Especially if you think you're doing the right thing. I was in shock as well. I didn't know what was happening.

'I was in my hotel room, I didn't even have an apartment (in Mainz) yet. I was just there, on my own, staring at the ceiling and thinking about everything.

'I don't know what would have happened if Nujum (Sports, a non-profit organisation for Muslim footballers) were not around me, because my family, my friends, everyone was in shock. We didn't know what to do.

'I felt alone. The club didn't support me at all. They didn't even have a conversation from a welfare perspective. I found out I got suspended from my agent.

'I didn't even know - so that says enough.'