In Summary
- Anwar El Ghazi posted a pro Palestine statement on Instagram
- French prosecutors launched preliminary investigation into Atal on suspicion of glorifying terrorism
Algerian footballer Youcef Atal is the latest Muslim footballer to face consequences this is after France’s OGC Nice suspended him for re posting what is alleged to be an anti-Jewish message on his socio media page in relation to the ongoing Israel Palestine conflict that has led to thousands dead.
This development transpired less than two days after French prosecutors initiated a preliminary investigation into Atal on suspicion of glorifying terrorism, following complaints lodged by local politicians.
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“Given the nature of the publication shared by Atal, and its seriousness, the club has taken the decision to take immediate disciplinary action against the player, prior to any action that may be taken by sporting and legal authorities,” OGC Nice said in a statement.
The French Football Federation in addressing the issue, announced on Sunday that its ethics committee would investigate the player’s conduct.
The chief of the committee, Philippe Diallo showed his displeasure with the content of the re posted message by Atal.
“OGC Nice understands that the player acknowledged his mistake by quickly removing the sharing of the publication and offered his written and public apologies,” The statement continued.
El Ghazi Suspended too
Youcef Atal’s suspension follows closely on the heels of a similar incident involving German club Mainz 05, which suspended Dutch forward El Ghazi for a social media post related to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
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The club said El Ghazi’s post as unacceptable, and part of the message he shared on social media read, “Palestine will be free” before he later removed it from his Instagram story.
