Mainz have released an official statement, updating their stance on Anwar El Ghazi after the winger was suspended for his comments on social media about the genocide in Gaza.
The club will now let the player return to training and feature in their upcoming matches. It is worth noting that Bayern Munich didn’t hand a suspension to Noussair Mazraoui for similar comments on the matter. The Moroccan was spoken to behind closed doors, but allowed to train and feature for the Bavarians in their competitive fixtures.
Anwar El Ghazi to return to Mainz first team after suspension over Palestine comments
The winger was banned on October 17 for his social media post, and has now been given a warning by the club.
“Against the background of El Ghazi’s commitment and the remorse he has shown, the club’s culture of dealing with mistakes requires the player given a chance for rehabilitation,” the official statement from Mainz read.
“El Ghazi has since distanced himself from his post on his Instagram account, which he deleted minutes later, in multiple conversations with the club. He regrets publishing the post and was remorseful about its negative impact, especially on the club as a whole.
“The club’s board made it clear to Anwar El Ghazi that employees of the club are bound to a code of values. Implicit in this code of values is a special responsibility to the state of Israel and the Jewish people, not only due to past events in German history, but also stemming from the shared history with one of FSV’s founding members and member of the Jewish community, Eugen Salomon.”
The player later apologised for the nature of his comments, while clarifying that he was against the killing of innocents in Gaza and the war.
Anwar El Ghazi is currently back home in the Netherlands, and a timeline has not been placed over his return to first team action yet.
