El Ghazi wins case against Mainz over Gaza posts

Dutch forward Anwar El Ghazi had his contract at Mainz wrongfully terminated, a German court ruled on Friday, months after he refused to stay silent on his support for Palestinians in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Mainz initially suspended El Ghazi and then terminated his contract in November following his social media posts in connection with the conflict, even as the forward said he had “no regrets or remorse” about his stand.

A Mainz spokesperson told Reuters they were waiting for the court’s written reasons for the decision before deciding on whether they will appeal.

El Ghazi had a contract with Mainz until 2025 and The Athletic reported the club must pay his wages for the past nine months, totalling €1.7 million ($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 suspended on Oct. 17 over his initial post which he has since deleted.

However, he continued with posts related to the conflict, saying he could not stay silent, 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 abducting some 250 others, according to Israeli tallies. More than 38,000 Palestinians have been killed since then in Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip, health officials in the Hamas-ruled enclave say.

Mainz, who had reinstated him in the squad after his initial suspension, said his posts were met with “surprise and incomprehension” before taking the decision to terminate his contract.

Nujum Sports, a non-profit organisation that has supported El Ghazi and helped him organise a charity soccer match to raise funds for Gaza’s children, described it as a “landmark verdict.”

“We hope clubs and professional bodies take note and do not continue to repress legitimate freedom of speech by pressurising athletes to remain silent or adopt a particular narrative with the threat of terminating contracts,” it said on X.