Postings about war in Gaza
FSV Mainz 05 announces decision in the El Ghazi case
November 2, 2023, 8:51 a.m
The fuss surrounding Mainz professional footballer Anwar El Ghazi doesn’t stop. After the offensive player’s controversial posts about the Gaza war, the Bundesliga club wants to comment again in the next few days. A solution has to be found.
Sports director Martin Schmidt from 1. FSV Mainz 05 has announced another statement from the Bundesliga club in the debate about pro-Palestinian statements by his professional Anwar El Ghazi. “This is now being discussed at board level. We will make a statement in the next day or two. We are putting our heads together and will come up with a solution as quickly as possible,” announced Schmidt after Mainz’s 3-0 defeat in the DFB. Cup at Hertha BSC.
Just two days after El Ghazi’s pardon, problems arose again in the hours before the Hertha game. The starting point was an Instagram post in which El Ghazi made it clear that the club statement published on Monday was not authorized by him. He doesn’t regret his stand at all. “I do not distance myself from what I said and stand for humanity and alongside the oppressed until the last day I breathe,” El Ghazi wrote.
Schmidt thought the timing of the post was inappropriate. “If it’s every morning on match day, that’s not very happy,” said the 56-year-old. The Mainz team then went down quietly in the Olympic Stadium that evening against second division team Hertha BSC. The unrest around El Ghazi was not beneficial for the already crisis-stricken club.
The club had previously said on Monday that El Ghazi had backed away from his controversial pro-Palestinian post from October 15 in several conversations. “In this context, El Ghazi clearly distanced himself from terrorist acts such as those perpetrated by Hamas (…),” wrote the Mainz-based company. “He emphasized his compassion for the victims of this attack as well as for all victims of this conflict. He made it clear that he does not question Israel’s right to exist.”