Football player fired for pro-Palestine posts has finally won the case! How much money is left?
Article by Daniel Grigore – Published Thursday, November 13, 2025, 10:42 / Updated Thursday, November 13, 2025 10:45
The contact between Mainz 05 and Anwar El Ghazi, a Dutch winger of Moroccan origin, was unilaterally terminated by the club on November 3, 2023. The basis of the break was a post published by the footballer on social networks, following the outbreak of the military conflict in the Gaza Strip.
On October 17, 2023, El Ghazi wrote:
This is not a war. When one camp cuts off the other's running water, food and electricity, that is not war. When one camp has nuclear weapons, that's not war. When a camp is funded with billions of dollars, that is not war.
When one camp uses AI images to spread false information about the other, that's not war.
When social media censors one side, that's not war. This is genocide, mass destruction, and we are watching it happen before our eyes. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.
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The message “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is a call to action from pro-Palestinian activists. They argue that the state of Palestine should stretch from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, wiping the state of Israel off the map.
Footballer sacked by Mainz for pro-Palestine posts wins compensation case for good!
The German club suspended him for the stance, which it described as “unacceptable”. El Ghazi was later reinstated into the squad, with Mainz 05 claiming the player had shown “remorse”.
Well, El Ghazi didn't seem to be on the same page as his employer, later claiming that he does not regret what was published. It was the final straw for Mainz 05, the club making the decision to terminate the footballer's contract.
A court in Mainz ruled in July 2024 that El Ghazi was unfairly dismissed and ordered the club to pay him 1.5 million euros, the salary for the period November 2023 – July 2024that is, for the remaining months of that season.
Mainz 05 paid that amount, but still appealed the decision, hoping to get their money back. On Wednesday, November 12, 2025, the club's appeal was rejected, according to The Athletic. The decision is finalwhich means that Mainz 05 ran out of money paid to the footballer.
El Ghazi, who had signed with Mainz in September 2023 as a free agent, managed to play only 3 times for the German team. He is currently registered with Al Sailiya SC in Qatar.
