Turmoil at FC Bayern: Noussair Mazraoui spreads a clip on Instagram wishing the Palestinians victory in the conflict with Israel. His Israeli teammate Daniel Peretz posted a call against terror almost at the same time.
The bloody massacre of the terrorist organization Hamas in Israel and the Israeli army counterattacks in the Palestinian territories: Discussions about the renewed flare-up of the Middle East conflict are continuing worldwide into private and professional areas. This is also the case with the football club FC Bayern Munich.
Mazraoui shares pro-Palestinian Insta post
FCB professional Noussair Mazraoui spread two stories (short videos that are usually only visible for 24 hours) on his Instagram account on Sunday night, wishing the Palestinians a victory in the conflict with Israel. The Moroccan national soccer player shared a short clip on Instagram in which a voice says in the style of a prayer: “God, help our oppressed brothers in Palestine to achieve victory. May God give grace to the dead, may God heal their wounded .” A waving flag of Palestine can be seen in the picture. In the entry from early Sunday morning, Mazraoui wrote “Ameen” (Amen) next to an emoji with folded hands.
Mazraoui’s accusation: players are being silenced
In another Instagram story, Mazraoui shared a post in which four contributions from Moroccan national players are shown, namely those of the Bayern defender himself as well as former Bundesliga player Abdelhamid Sabiri (Siegen, Nuremberg, Paderborn), Hakim Ziyech (Galatasaray Istanbul) and Zakaria Aboukhlal (Toulouse FC). The article claims, among other things, that the players should be silenced. “It’s literally us against the world!” they say. All four footballers shared the post on their pages.
Peretz calls for a united fight against terror
The fact that Mazraoui has an Israeli teammate at FC Bayern in Daniel Peretz doesn’t seem to bother the Moroccan much. Peretz posted a video almost simultaneously, calling on athletes and associations around the world to unite in the fight against terror. In the haunting video, he compares the bloody Hamas attack with, among other things, the attacks on the USA on September 11, 2001.
When asked by dpa, FC Bayern initially did not comment on Mazraoui’s post. Shortly after the attack became known, FC Bayern wrote on the X platform (formerly Twitter) that they were worried about their friends in Israel. Mazraoui is currently with the Moroccan national team, with whom he played a friendly against Ivory Coast on Saturday evening.
Per-Palestinian Demonstrations in Morocco
In his country, Mazraoui does not seem to be alone in his opinion. In the Moroccan capital Rabat, thousands took to the streets on Sunday to show support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and condemn Israeli attacks on the coastal enclave. Participants in the demonstration in Rabat waved Palestinian flags. The march also became a showcase for the banned Islamist movement al-Adl wal Ihsan, which supports Hamas.
Even if many Muslims reject Hamas’ terrorist attack: In many places in the Islamic world the view of the Middle East conflict is different compared to the West. Former soccer world champion Mesut Özil expressed his regret on Friday over the deaths of thousands of people in Israel and the Gaza Strip, but at the same time expressed clear solidarity with Palestine.
Özil also with pro-Palestinian Statements
The 34-year-old captioned a picture on X, formerly Twitter, with the hashtag #Freepalestine. In the picture, a photomontage depicted Özil in a shirt on which the Turkish and Palestinian flags intertwined and the words “Özgür Filistin” (Free Palestine) can be seen. In addition, a child wearing an Özil shirt with the number 23 shows an armed man – presumably an Israeli soldier – the red card.
Özil has caused a stir with his political statements several times in the past. In December 2019, the then Arsenal FC professional criticized the oppression of the Uyghurs in China on social media. In addition, his proximity to the controversial Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan caused criticism, especially in Germany. Özil also caused a stir in the summer when pictures emerged of him with a tattoo with symbols of a right-wing extremist Turkish movement.
Video: The current situation in Israel
With information from dpa
That is the European perspective at BR24.
Source: BR24 October 15, 2023 – 4:45 p.m
