Mainz 05 must defend the immediate dismissal of striker Anwar El Ghazi before the Mainz labor court. The club released him because of anti-Israel Instagram posts.
The Mainz labor court will hear professional football player Anwar El Ghazi’s dismissal protection claim against 1. FSV Mainz 05 on January 10th. This initially involves a conciliation meeting in which an attempt is made to find an amicable solution between the player and the club. If no agreement is reached, further days of trial could follow. The 28-year-old striker is suing against the immediate termination of his contract, which runs until summer 2025 by the Bundesliga soccer team. Mainz 05 responded to repeated pro-Palestinian Instagram posts by El Ghazi.
Lawsuit before the Mainz labor court
The Dutch-born Moroccan is represented by the labor and sports lawyer Alexander Bergweiler, who had already publicly expressed doubts that the dismissal without notice was legal. The professional was initially warned by the club for a pro-Palestinian post. In another post, El Ghazi indirectly contradicted a statement from Mainz 05after which he showed remorse.
Original post from mid-October
The starting point of the case was an initial post by the player in mid-October. After the attack on Israel by terrorists on behalf of Hamas on October 7th, he wrote in an Instagram post that was then deleted: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” What is meant is that Palestine should extend from the Jordan to the Mediterranean. This will To a certain extent, Israel has the right to exist agreed.
