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<\/p>\nAnwar El Ghazi suspended by Mainz for post about Israel-Hamas conflict <\/p>\n
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Dutch forward Anwar El Ghazi was suspended by Mainz 05 on Tuesday for a social media post about the Israel-Hamas conflict that the Bundesliga club felt was \u201cunacceptable\u201d.<\/p>\n
El Ghazi, who joined Mainz in September, has since deleted the post.<\/p>\n
Hamas fighters killed 1,300 Israelis on Oct. 7 in the deadliest Palestinian militant attack in Israel\u2019s history while Israel responded with intensive air strikes that have killed more than 2,800 Palestinians.<\/p>\n
\u201cFSV Mainz 05 have relieved Anwar El Ghazi of his training and matchday-related duties,\u201d the club announced on X, formerly known as Twitter.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe decision comes as a result of a since-deleted social media post from the 28-year-old that appeared on Sunday evening. In the post, El Ghazi took a position on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East that was deemed unacceptable by the club.<\/p>\n
\u201cPrior to making this decision, the club and the player had engaged in an in-depth discussion. Mainz 05 respect the fact that there are varying perspectives on the decades-long, complex conflict in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, the club are distancing themselves from the content of the social media post in question, as it does not align with the values of the club.\u201d<\/p>\n
The club did not provide further details about what El Ghazi had written in the deleted post.<\/p>\n
Former Aston Villa winger El Ghazi wrote in a separate post on X on Thursday that he had \u201creceived some negative messages around my social media posts\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to make clear that I\u2019m standing for peace above everything,\u201d the 28-year-old said. He also called for \u201cmore empathy, deepening our knowledge about the history of this conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mainz are 17th and second to last in the Bundesliga with two points after seven matches.<\/p>\n