Noussair Mazraoui will not be removed from the Bayern Munich squad following his much-discussed posts on social media. The club announced this on Friday morning through a statement.
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Mazraoui came under fire for a number of posts on Instagram, in which he expressed support for Palestine. A German politician expressed his disgust at the messages from the former Ajax player and even called on the Bayern management to immediately part ways with the Moroccan international.
However, this won't happen. In fact, Mazraoui remains with the Bayern squad, although the former Ajax player is out of action due to an injury. This is also the reason he trained separately this week. In the statement, Bayern explains the decision to keep Mazraoui in the group.
"Mazraoui has credibly assured us that, as a peace-loving person, he resolutely rejects terror and war. He regrets if his messages caused irritation," said Bayern director Christian Dreesen. Mazraoui also speaks in the statement: "I condemn every form of terrorism and any terrorist organization."
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After Morocco's friendly match against Ivory Coast, Mazraoui already responded to the uproar, where he also indicated being against all forms of hate and violence. "I find it disappointing that I have to explain what I stand for," he told Bild. "There is a situation where thousands of innocent people are being killed. I stand for peace and justice in this world and am against all forms of terrorism, hate, and violence. This will not change for me."
"I don't understand why people think the opposite of me and why I am associated with hate groups. This conflict isn't about what I think or what you think. Every day innocent people are killed by this terrible, out-of-control conflict. Everyone should be against this and speak out against it. My intention was never to hurt anyone," said Mazraoui, who left Ajax for Bayern last summer.
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Anwar El Ghazi also posted pro-Palestine messages and was reprimanded by his club, 1. FSV Mainz 05. The forward was put on non-active by Mainz, who felt that El Ghazi had taken a position 'unacceptable to the club' in the war between Israel and Hamas. OGC Nice defender Youcef Atal, due to his similar posts about Palestine, was also suspended by his French employer.
