Dutch striker Anwar El Ghazi's contract with Mainz has been unfairly terminated, a German court ruled on Friday, months after he refused to remain silent over his support for Palestinians in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Mainz initially suspended El Ghazi and then terminated his contract in November following his social media posts in relation to the conflict, even as the striker said he had “no regret or remorse” for his stance.
A spokesman for Mainz told Reuters they were waiting for the court's written reasons for the decision before deciding whether to appeal.
El Ghazi was under contract with Mainz until 2025 and The Athletic reported that the club must pay his salary for the past nine months, totalling 1.7 million euros ($1.85 million), as a result of the ruling.
The 29-year-old, who has also played for Premier League clubs Aston Villa and Everton, was first banned on October 17 for his initial post which he later deleted.
However, she continued to post about the conflict, saying she could not remain silent and adding that there was no justification for the killing of thousands of children in Gaza.
The war began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping 250 others, according to Israeli counts. More than 38,000 Palestinians have since been killed in Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip, according to health authorities in the Hamas-ruled enclave.
Mainz, who had reinstated him after his initial suspension, said his posts were met with “surprise and incomprehension” before they made the decision to terminate his contract.
Nujum Sports, a non-profit organisation that supported El Ghazi and helped him organise a charity football match to raise funds for children in Gaza, described it as a “historic verdict”.
“We hope that clubs and professional bodies will take note and stop suppressing legitimate freedom of expression by pressuring athletes to remain silent or adopt a particular narrative with the threat of terminating their contracts,” he said in X.
