El Ghazi fighting to prove 'he was sacked by Mainz' for pro-Palestinian posts
Former Aston Villa winger Anwar El Ghazi alleges he was sacked by Mainz 05 after sponsors threatened to pull their money out of the Bundesliga club after he posted pro-Palestinian messages on social media - and is going to court to prove it.
El Ghazi, who spent four years at Villa Park and also had a loan spell with Everton, was suspended by Mainz after voicing his opinions on the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel in October.
When he later issued an apology in which he condemned all violence against innocent civilians, it appeared that he had saved his career in Germany. But El Ghazi was booted out of the club - and then hit by a demand to pay Mainz £450,000 to help finance a replacement.
Now the twice-capped Holland International has posted documents with an industrial court, which he alleges proves Mainz's motives were purely financial.
The papers suggest that he had made his peace with Mainz until two of the club's biggest sponsors allegedly warned they would be cancelling deals if El Ghazi was not dismissed.
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El Ghazi, 28, believes he has been unfairly treated after negotiating an apology that was meant to bring an end to the controversy. He wants the final 20 months of his contract paid in full and is claiming that the club that launched Jurgen Klopp's managerial career decided to sack him purely because of financial pressure.
A court ruling on the matter is expected to be made on June 18. El Ghazi, who is of Moroccan descent, joined Villa on loan in 2018 and scored when they earned promotion to the Premier League at the end of his first season by beating Derby in the play-off final at Wembley.
He later signed a four-year contract but spent a year on loan at Everton before signing for Dutch club PSV Eindhoven. El Ghazi joined Mainz last September when he signed a two-year contract.
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