Mainz lift El Ghazi's suspension for post about Israel-Hamas war

AUGSBURG, GERMANY - SEPTEMBER 23: Anwar El Ghazi and Lee Jae-Song of 1.FSV Mainz 05 look dejected following the team's loss during the Bundesliga match between FC Augsburg and 1. FSV Mainz 05 at WWK-Arena on September 23, 2023 in Augsburg, Germany.
Christian Kaspar-Bartke / Getty Images Sport / Getty

MAINZ, Germany (AP) — German soccer club Mainz said Monday it is lifting a suspension it imposed on Dutch forward Anwar El Ghazi over a social media post about the Israel-Hamas war.

Mainz said El Ghazi has been given a reprimand and will return to training and be available to play soon. The Bundesliga club suspended him Oct. 18 over what it called an "unacceptable" post on Instagram and he was not in the squad for two league games.

Mainz said Monday that El Ghazi had "distanced" himself from the post in conversations with the club's management.

The 28-year-old El Ghazi, who previously played for PSV Eindhoven, Aston Villa and Everton, joined Mainz last month. He has made three appearances as a substitute for the team.

Mainz is last in the Bundesliga and its next game is at Hertha Berlin in the German Cup on Wednesday.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

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