Moroccan soccer player Noussair Mazraoui, who was criticized for sharing pro-Palestinian posts on his Instagram story, will remain in the FC Bayern Munich squad. This, the club announced on its website on Friday morning, was the result of a “detailed[n] and clarifying[n] Conversation[s]“.
CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen, who spoke to Mazraoui on Säbener Strasse on Wednesday, is quoted in the statement as saying: “Noussair Mazraoui has credibly assured us that, as a peace-loving person, he resolutely rejects terror and war. He regrets if his posts caused any irritation.” On this basis, the club has decided that there will be no sanctions for the player.
Anyone who wants to evaluate the case and FC Bayern’s decision had and must deal with all the details. What Mazraoui shared in his Instagram story – including a verse from the Koran and a video (“God, help our oppressed brothers in Palestine so that they can achieve victory.”) – cannot be interpreted as clearly as For example, the slogan “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free,” which was posted by the soccer player Anwar El Ghazi, who was later released by his club, FSV Mainz. And yet one could already guess this week in which detail FC Bayern and Mazraoui would reach a critical point in the communication of the case.
On Sunday evening, when the debate about his posts had reached a (populist) climax, Mazraoui spoke up for the first time and said in the “Bild” newspaper that he would “always be against all kinds of terrorism, hatred and violence”. You then had to realize that he was able to diagnose terrorism, but then didn’t want to name the person who created it in this case: Hamas. And now?
Mazraoui will be missing in Mainz
In the latest statement that the club has now published and in which it sided with Israel, CEO Dreesen says: “FC Bayern condemns Hamas’ attack on Israel.” After the sentence, the statement continues as follows : “’Furthermore,’ declares Noussair Mazraoui, ‘I condemn every type of terrorism and every terrorist organization.’”
This is the solution that the club and the player came up with for the critical point: With his statement, Mazraoui follows the mention of Hamas, but does not name it himself. Why? Because he doesn’t actually want to judge her? Because he fears consequences for his family and himself? That’s a matter of interpretation again.
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In response to a query from the FAZ, the Central Council of Jews in Germany assessed the case on Friday as follows: “Professional footballers are role models. Unfortunately, Noussair Mazraoui did not fulfill this requirement. This would have required more remorse and self-correction after such an unspeakable Instagram post. However, we consider the approach of the FC Bayern Munich club to be appropriate overall and in view of all possibilities, also with a view to the always clear stance of the club itself.”
This Saturday (6.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and on Sky), when FC Bayern plays in the Bundesliga in Mainz, Noussair Mazraoui will still be missing. He sustained an injury during the international match with the Moroccan national team.
