Former Aston Villa winger Anwar El Ghazi has insisted he does not regret showing support for Palestine on social media after his suspension was lifted by his club Mainz on Tuesday. The Bundesliga outfit took the decision to terminate his contract, informing El Ghazi would be released on Friday, before changing their mind – and now the ex-Premier League footballer has broken his silence to give his views on his suspension.
The 28-year-old was suspended by the club over his post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, after standing up for Palestine in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
El Ghazi was asked to apologise for the post but reportedly refused, telling senior executives that he stands for peace and humanity for all victims of the war and would not renege on his position.
It was decided by Mainz officials that his contract would be terminated and the player was informed on Friday, according to BBC Sport. However, the German club released a surprise statement confirming his suspension had been lifted and the player would return to training.
It read: “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.
“Anwar El Ghazi is warned by Mainz 05 for publishing a post on social media two weeks ago. He will therefore return to training and games at Mainz as soon as possible.”
But El Ghazi has risked the wrath of his club by issuing another lengthy post on X, seemingly contradicting his club’s assertion that he had shown ‘remorse’ by insisting he has ‘no regrets’ about supporting the people of Palestine.
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