Bundesliga side FSV Mainz, have suspended newly signed player Anwar El Ghazi over his pro-Palestine social media post.
On Tuesday the German club said it had released El Ghazi from training and matches.
El Ghazi. a Dutch winger who previously for Ajax, Lille, Aston Villa, and PSV, recently joined the Mainz on a free transfer.
The club said the leave of absence was in response to a now-deleted social media post by the 28-year-old from Sunday evening.
In it, El Ghazi had taken a position on the conflict in the Middle East in a way that was intolerable for the club.
The release was preceded by a detailed discussion between the board and the player.
Mainz said it respects the fact that there are different perspectives on the complex Middle East conflict that has been going on for decades.
However, the club said it “clearly distances itself” from the content of the post, as it “does not go hand in hand with the values of our club”.
The social media post by El Ghazi appears to have been replicated by another player in France.
Nice FC have suspended Youcef Atal until further notice after a social media post regarding the ongoing situation in Gaza.
