RIYADH: German football club Bayern Munich says it will hold talks with star player Noussair Mazraoui in light of the Moroccan defender’s Instagram post expressing support for Gaza.
Mazraoui, whose Instagram account has 2.3 million followers, shared a post featuring an audio message saying: “O Allah, help our oppressed brothers in Palestine to attain victory. May Allah have mercy on the deceased and heal the wounded.”
According to a statement from Bayern Munich, reported by the German Press Agency, the club immediately contacted Mazraoui following his Instagram posts on Sunday.
“The player is currently with the Moroccan national team. After his return, a detailed personal conversation with the club’s management in Munich is planned.
“Regardless, everyone, including all staff and players, is aware of the values represented by Bayern Munich.
“We have expressed this openly and unequivocally in a post immediately following the terrorist attack on Israel.
“We are concerned about our friends in Israel, and we stand with them. At the same time, we hope for peaceful coexistence for all people in the Middle East,” the statement read.
The player also addressed his controversial post in an interview with the agency, offering his perspective: “My position is that I will work for peace and justice in this world. This means that I will always be against all kinds of terrorism, hatred and violence. And that’s something I will always stand behind.
“That’s why I don’t understand why people think the opposite about me and why I’m associated with hateful groups. Today is not about what I think or what you think, innocent people are being killed every day by this terrible conflict that has gotten out of hand. We all need to be against it and speak out against it. This is just inhumane.
“Finally, I would like to make it clear that it was never my intention to offend or hurt anyone, consciously or unconsciously,” he said.
Mazraoui is currently on international duty with the Atlas Lions, who are scheduled to face Liberia in the Africa Cup of Nations qualification on Tuesday.
