After Mainz professional Anwar El-Ghazi was released because of a pro-Palestinian social media post, the French club OGC Nice also reacted to a post by its player Youcef Atal.
French first division soccer team OGC Nice has responded to a pro-Palestinian social media post by Youcef Atal and suspended the Algerian international “until further notice.” As the second-placed team in Ligue 1 announced, they decided to take this step after an exchange with the player “taking into account the nature of the shared publication and its severity”.
Atal had shared a post on social media related to the conflict between Israel and the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas, which he soon deleted and apologized for.
Investigation into “glorification of terrorism”
The public prosecutor’s office opened a preliminary investigation against the 27-year-old on Monday for “glorification of terrorism” and “incitement to hatred or violence based on a particular religion.”
“We would like to emphasize that the reputation and unity of the OGC Nice derive from the behavior of all its employees, which must be consistent with the values represented by the institution”the club said on Wednesday.