Youcef Atal and Karim Benzema are among the Muslim football players facing backlash, and suspension for speaking on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war on their social media accounts.
The war began on Saturday, October 7, after Hamas infiltrated southern Israel, sending fighters, firing 5,000 rockets, and taking captives, including women, children, and the elderly, which prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to warn of “a long and difficult war.“
Israeli bombardment and blockade of the Gaza Strip continue, displacing over one million people, nearly half of Gaza’s population.
Gaza is facing a severe humanitarian crisis with no electricity, running out of water, food, fuel, and medical supplies, prompting civilians to flee to the south.
In Gaza, the health ministry said that at least 3,785 Palestinians have been killed, including 1,000 children and 12,065 citizens wounded due to Israeli attacks.
On the Israeli side, at least 1,400 people have been killed, including 306 soldiers and 4,475 injured.
Youcef Atal
Youcef Atal, the Algerian footballer, was suspended by Nice on Wednesday, October 18, until further notice after sharing an antisemitic message on social media.
On Saturday, October 14, Atal, shared a video of Palestinian preacher Mahmoud al-Hasanat, who calls for God to ‘send Jewish people a dark day’. Later, he deleted the post and apologised.
“I am aware that my post shocked many people, which wasn’t my intention, and I apologise,” Atal wrote on Instagram story on Sunday, October 15.
“I want to clarify my point of view without any ambiguity: I strongly denounce all forms of violence, wherever in the world, and I support all victims.”
Nice said in a statement that it had discussed the issue with Atal and that he apologised.
“The player acknowledged his error by quickly withdrawing the sharing of the publication and has offered a written and public apology,” Nice said.
“Nevertheless, given the nature of the publication shared, and its seriousness, the club has made the decision to immediately take the first disciplinary measures against the player, prior to any action that may be taken by sporting and legal authorities. To this end, the club has decided to suspend Youcef Atal until further notice.”
Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema, the French footballer who currently plays for Saudi club Al-Ittihad, is facing backlash after he expressed support for the people of Palestine.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Benzema wrote, “All our prayers for the inhabitants of Gaza who are once again victims of these unjust bombings which spare no women or children.”
The post has received over 558,000 likes, 180,000 retweets, and 60,000 comments.
Reacting to the tweet, French interior minister Gerald Darmanin said Benzema had “links to the Muslim Brotherhood”. Speaking to French TV channel CNews, Darmanin said, “We have closed 1,100 Islamist establishments. And in recent weeks, I’ve been particularly interested, Benzema is linked, we all know it, notoriously with the Muslim Brotherhood.”
French senator Valerie Boyer has demanded that Benzema’s citizenship be stripped and his Ballon D’or accolade, awarded annually by French Football, be withdrawn.
Boyer’s signed petition to the French government, posted on her Instagram, argues that she cannot accept a French dual national dishonoring and betraying her country.
Anwar El Ghazi
On Tuesday, October 17, Bundesliga club Mainz suspended forward Anwar El Ghazi for a social media post on October 17 about the Israel-Hamas war, which the club deemed “unacceptable.”
In a now-deleted Instagram post, Dutch footballer Anwar El Ghazi had said, “This is not war. When one side cuts off water, food and electricity on another then it’s not war. When one side has nuclear weapons then it’s not war. When one side is getting funded with billions of dollars then it’s not war.”
He continued, “When one side uses AI pictures to spread misinformation about another then it’s not war. When social media is censoring the content of one side and not the other then it’s not war. This isn’t a conflict and it’s not war.”
“This is genocide and mass destruction and we’re witnessing it happen live. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” he added.
After his Instagram post, Anwar took to X and wrote, “I recently received some negative messages around my social media posts. I want to make clear that I’m standing for peace above everything.”
“My thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of all the innocent victims, and those who are still missing, as well as the communities who are affected by this situation.”
“Every individual, be it in Palestine or elsewhere, has the right to security, a loving home, and opportunities to grow. I’m calling for more empathy, deepening our knowledge about the history of this conflict is vital before we hate and slander all those who have spoken about the injustices in Palestine.”
Noussair Mazraoui
Moroccan footballer Noussair Mazraoui shared a post on Instagram 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 {in horror}.”
In response to the post, a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Bundestag representative Johannes Steiniger, said on X that, “the club of Kurt Landauer, which was referred to as a ‘Jews’ Club” by the Nazis, cannot let this stand. Dear FC Bayern, please kick him out immediately. Furthermore, all available governmental means should be used to expel him from Germany.”
