Rewarded for denying Oct. 7? German court rules to pay millions to anti-Israel soccer player

Dutch soccer player Anwar El Ghazi is expected to receive millions of euros after a German court ruled on Friday its unilateral decision to release him despite his extremely anti-Israel posts shared at the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war.

After writing the anti-Israel posts and losing his contract with the German professional sports club Mainz 05, El Ghazi sued the club for breach of contract, and ultimately, the court ruled in his favor.

It is possible that Mainz club will be required to pay him 4.2 million euros in compensation, which includes unpaid salaries and bonuses and an additional amount for the emotional distress he allegedly suffered.

El Ghazi, 29, signed with Mainz at the end of September 2023, having been a free agent during the break.

In some of his controversial posts, El Ghazi denied the Hamas attack on October 7 at the beginning of the war.

The Mainz club quickly responded to the anti-Israel posts and October 7 denial, stating that El Ghazi "took a stance that is intolerable for the club." 

No intention to apologize

A few days after the club suspended him, El Ghazi clarified that he did not want to apologize for his statements and added, "Losing my livelihood is nothing compared to the hell that innocent people in Gaza are experiencing. Stop the killing."

Since his release, the Dutch player, who is of Moroccan descent, has not found another team to join and has not been playing soccer.

In recent months, the Mainz club decided to reinstate him in the squad, likely for legal reasons only, but it did not include him in training or matches.