Overview
- The Rhineland-Palatinate higher labor court rejected Mainz 05’s appeal, confirming that a summary dismissal was not justified.
- Presiding judge Andreas Budroweit said El Ghazi’s posts neither endorsed the Hamas attacks nor denied Israel’s right to exist, so freedom of expression outweighed the club’s interests.
- About €1.5 million in salary for the first contract year had already been paid to El Ghazi and the court did not permit a revision.
- El Ghazi’s legal team plans a further claim of roughly €1.2 million for lost earnings tied to his move to Cardiff City, which awaits the written judgment.
- Club chairman Stefan Hofmann said Mainz accepts the ruling but maintains that such statements conflict with club values, while El Ghazi now plays for Al-Sailiya SC in Qatar.