According to The Athletic website, El Ghazi won a lawsuit against Mainz after the Dutch player was unfairly dismissed by Mainz for supporting Palestine in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In October 2023, El Ghazi was suspended by Mainz for the first time for publishing posts supporting Palestine. The club called the behavior "unacceptable." Shortly after, El Ghazi's suspension was lifted, and Mainz said it had warned El Ghazi and that the player had shown "remorse" at the time. However, Elghazi said in subsequent posts that he neither "regrets" nor "dissociates himself from" his initial remarks. Subsequently, Mainz announced the termination of his contract.
In July 2024, the local labor court in Germany ruled that Mainz's dismissal of El Ghazi was unfair dismissal and ordered the club to pay him 1.5 million euros in compensation, which was equivalent to El Ghazi's salary from November 2023 to July 2024.
The above compensation has been paid in August 2024, but if Mainz succeeds in its appeal, this amount can be recovered. On November 12, the Rhineland-Palatinate Regional Labor Court in Germany rejected Mainz’s appeal, and the decision was final and Mainz was not allowed to file any further appeals.
El Ghazi is of Moroccan descent. After leaving Mainz, he transferred to Qatar's Al Seiya Club in September 2024.
source:7m en