Soccer

Cardiff sign Anwar El Ghazi after his Mainz contract mutually terminated

El Ghazi’s contract was cancelled by the German club last November.

Anwar El Ghazi, pictured playing for Aston Villa, has signed for Cardiff
Anwar El Ghazi, pictured playing for Aston Villa, has signed for Cardiff (Richard Heathcote/PA)
By PA Sport Staff

Cardiff have announced the signing of Anwar El Ghazi, who a German court found was wrongfully dismissed by his old club Mainz over pro-Palestinian social media posts.

El Ghazi, who has won two caps for the Netherlands and previously played for Aston Villa and Everton, had his contract cancelled by Mainz last November following a series of posts about the conflict in Gaza.

Last month a court in Mainz found he had been wrongfully dismissed and reinstated his contract, and on Wednesday El Ghazi announced it had been mutually terminated, leaving him as a free agent.

“I’m really hungry and looking forward to playing for this great club,” El Ghazi told Cardiff’s official website.

“The city is amazing. I’ve got to feel at home, and from the moment I arrived here I’ve been feeling good.

“I know I’ve not been playing for a while. I stayed fit for myself, but team training is obviously different. When I’m fully fit, I want to help the team where I can with goals, with assists and with my experience. I will give everything for the shirt.”

El Ghazi wrote on X on Wednesday that he had no regrets over speaking out.

“It would be unconscionable to remain silent whilst we witness what is happening in Gaza,” he wrote.

“No state or individual can be beyond accountability or above the law. I hope my case gives strength to others, particularly those with a platform and influence, to keep talking about Gaza and calling for an end to the decades long incarceration of a people who deserve to live in freedom and with dignity as much as any other human.”

Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 39,100 Palestinians, according to the territory’s health ministry. The war began with an assault by Hamas militants on southern Israel on October 7 that killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took about 250 hostages.