Footballer Anwar El Ghazi’s legal victory against Mainz proves we must always speak up on Palestine

Last week Anwar El Ghazi revealed that Mainz 05, his former football club, had finally paid out the settlement he had been owed. El Ghazi had taken the German club to the Labour court of Mainz after the Dutch winger had been unfairly dismissed for social media posts about the ongoing genocide in Palestine.

In a country increasing their tacit and explicit aggression towards Palestine, El Ghazi’s decision to take his former club to court was a brave one. The ruling ordered Mainz to pay his wages for the past nine months, totalling to 1.7 million euros ($1.9 million). The player shared the news about his victory on Instagram where he announced that €500,000 of the payment would go to the children of Gaza.

"I hope Mainz, despite their repeated failed attempts to avoid making the due payment, take solace from the knowledge that they have, through me, contributed financially in trying to make life a little more bearable for the children of Gaza,” he wrote.

Indeed, Germany has not only provided material and political cover to Israel’s brutality across Palestine and specifically the murderous assault in Gaza that has been ongoing for almost a year, and taken the lives of over 40,000 people, but it has also cracked down on expressions of solidarity and protest within its own borders. Fighting and winning this case is nothing short of remarkable, and a testament to El Ghazi’s commitment to the Palestinian struggle.

His stance has also been particularly noticeable because of the appalling absence of support and solidarity from across the footballing world.

Alongside the obvious humanitarian implications of this silence - it is widely recognised as a genocide - it is a labour issue that players unions and footballers should be wary of. Football clubs increasingly influenced by external factors - either as proxies for soft state power, as moving advertisements for the gambling industry or as reluctant participants in the fantasies of billionaires - are now dismissing players for expressions of solidarity that the clubs object to. 

Although it wasn’t made clear what the specifics of Mainz’ issue with El Ghazi’s social media posting was, the choice to terminate drew a very distinct line in the sand. Mainz’ insistence on reframing El Ghazi’s words as the sanitised “peace above everything” is a far cry from what he actually asserted, which was an explicit expression of solidarity with the besieged people of Palestine. The player’s reassertion of this difference feels key to both the lack of public support from his peers and the widespread support from across the Palestine Solidarity movement.

Supported by Nujum Sports, Anwar El Ghazi pursued this case without backing from players’ unions, former football clubs, teammates or Football Federations in any of the countries where he has played. Where support for Ukraine in the sporting world was widespread and seemingly uncontroversial, awareness of the ongoing genocide in Palestine has been sustained in the sporting domain largely through small moments of meaning mostly led by fans and occasionally individual Muslim footballers.

Even the campaign to have Israel rightfully expelled from UEFA and FIFA mostly exists amongst fans and activists. Whilst the Palestinian national football team has lost a number of players to Israel’s assault and almost all of the facilities in Gaza have been wiped out, they have continued their World Cup qualifying campaign as a testament to their steadfastness. El Ghazi’s commitment to this cause is a show of solidarity to those Palestinians suffering today and those Palestinians who will rebuild, and who will play football again.

As the situation in Gaza worsens each day, with the recurrence of Polio, widespread starvation, a lack of access to clean water and sanitation ravaging the population already under regular Israeli attack, El Ghazi’s victory may feel inconsequential in comparison. However, what he has done is set a precedent for his peers not only in speaking out but also by following through. Mainz 05 tried to silence him, but instead through his perseverance, as the player noted in his statement, made his voice “even louder for the oppressed and voiceless in Gaza,".

Too often public figures are subjected to intense scrutiny for otherwise mainstream political opinions and too often they crumble to the pressure. El Ghazi has shown us that it’s possible to resist this narrative, and that it is critical to do so.

Sanaa lives in London and works in community sport. 

Follow her on Twitter: @sanaa_mq

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Opinions expressed in this article remain those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The New Arab, its editorial board or staff.