Bayern President Herbert Hainer sent a warning on Sunday, during the German record champions’ annual general meeting, to the Moroccan footballer Noussair Mazraoui over his Instagram statements in support of Palestine, according to NTV.
“It is clear to all of us; something like this must not happen again. In general, anti-Semitism has no place in our world!” emphasized Hainer, referring to Mazraoui’s pro-Palestinian social media post.
In this context, Jan-Christian Dreesen, the club’s CEO, underscored that appropriate sanctions will be imposed for any future misconduct, and unequivocally stated, “as a club on Israel’s side.”
“FC Bayern dealt with this complex issue as responsibly as possible,” stressed the club’s president, adding that “right-wing extremism does not fit into FC Bayern Munich’s worldview.”
Dreesen, on the other hand, acknowledged Mazraoui for expressing that he did not hold any anti-Semitic, anti-Israel, or terror-harmonizing ideas and offered to have talks with the Jewish community.
For nearly a month now, the 25-year-old Bayern Munich footballer shared a post of a Quran verse that read “and do not think Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers do. He only delays them (i.e their account) for a Day when the eyes will stare.”
The implications of this social media post elicited a disproportionately negative reaction, prompting some to question the player’s future at the club.
On October 20th, Mazraoui and Bayern Munich officials had a thorough discussion about his social media post, which the club considered controversial and asked clarification for.
The Moroccan international footballer condemned every kind of terrorism and every terrorist organization.
He even assured Peretz, an Israeli international footballer, that he had nothing against Israel or Jews, during a meeting that occurred before Bayern’s 3-1 victory against Galatasaray in the Champions League.
Yet, Mazraoui continues facing a challenging period with his club, as Volker Beck, a politician, filed a criminal complaint against him for justifying crimes in response to his pro-Palestinian social media post, reported German tabloid BILD.