Former Aston Villa and Everton star Anwar El Ghazi has issued a defiant statement after his Mainz contract was terminated. Mainz took the decision to end the player’s spell at the Mewa Arena after he released a pro-Palestine post on social media.
“Stand for what is right, even if it means standing alone,” El Ghazi wrote on Instagram on Friday evening. “The loss of my livelihood is nothing when compared to the hell being unleashed on the innocent and vulnerable in Gaza. #stopthekilling.
El Ghazi’s initial social media post about Palestine, which was published on Sunday, October 16, accused Israel of “genocide” in Gaza, with the final line reading: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
The 28-year-old, who spent four years at Villa Park between 2018 and 2022, deleted the post but was subsequently suspended by Mainz. His club then appeared ready to let the player off with an “official warning” after saying he had shown “remorse” for the post.
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However, the Netherlands international took to Instagram once again on Wednesday to reaffirm his position on the events unfolding in Gaza as he wrote: “My position remains the same is was when this started:
I am against war and violence
I am against the killing of all innocent civilians
I am against all forms of discrimination
l am against Islamophobia
I am against anti-Semitism
I am against genocide
I am against apartheid
I am against occupation
I am against oppression
“I do not regret or have any remorse for my position. I do not distance myself from what I said and I stand, today and always until my last breath, for humanity and the oppressed. I do not owe special responsibility to any state. I do not believe any people or states are beyond question and accountability nor are they above International law. I have no choice but to stand firm for justice and bear witness to the truth and would do so even if was against me, my parents, my relatives and kinsmen.”
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One of Mainz’ founders, Eugen Salomon, was a German Jew who was murdered in Auschwitz in 1942 by the Nazis. And the Bundesliga club decided their only option was to terminate El Ghazi’s contract in light of his comments.
“FSV Mainz 05 is ending the contractual relationship with Anwar El Ghazi and terminated the player with immediate effect on Friday,” the club said in a statement. “The club is taking this measure in response to the player’s statements and posts on social media.”
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