Anwar Al-Ghazi Makes Major Donation to Gaza Children

Dutch star Anwar El Ghazi, of Moroccan origin, has announced that he has received his financial dues, owed by his former club, German club Mainz, which illegally terminated his contract, simply for declaring his support for Palestine against Zionist aggression.

On Friday, the new Cardiff City player confirmed on social media that he would be donating €500,000 (half a million euros) to help children in Gaza, and he also sent a message to Mainz officials.

Anwar Al-Ghazi wrote in a message on his official Instagram account: “After receiving the money from Mines today, I would like to clarify that my legal battle with Mines was not, for me, a question of money.”

He added: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mainz for two things. First, to repay part of the money, of which 500,000 euros will be used to finance projects for the children of Gaza. I hope that Mainz, despite its repeated unsuccessful attempts to avoid paying the amount owed, will know that it has contributed financially, through me, to making life more bearable for the children of Gaza. Second, in their attempt to silence me, they have made my voice heard louder on behalf of the oppressed and the voiceless in Gaza.”

The case began when the Mainz club suspended its striker Al-Ghazi last October for supporting the Palestinian people in their conflict with Israel, via a post on his Instagram account.

Al-Ghazi returned to training for a short period after a statement was released by the German club confirming the player was distancing himself from the position, but Al-Ghazi quickly denied this in a further message and Mainz terminated the player’s contract without informing him on 3 November 2023.

Last July, the Mainz city labor court issued a decision invalidating the Mainz club’s termination of Al-Ghazi’s contract, which ran until 2025.