Former Aston Villa promotion winner Anwar El Ghazi has won a court battle against a German side for unfair dismissal.
El-Ghazi, who helped Villa win the Championship play-offs back in 2020, had been with Bundesliga side Mainz in 2023.
The club moved to suspended El Ghazi after the player shared posts on social media using the phrase "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free".
It is a slogan seen by some as a call for the destruction of Israel, while others say it appeals for equality for Palestinians and Israelis.
The club later said the player could return if he distanced himself from the comments - but he stated he would not and did not regret making the remarks.
He then had his contract terminated with immediate effect.
Then in July 2024, the winger won an unfair termination case against the club, entitling him to more than 1.5 million Euros.
The case has now been totally completed - and on Thursday a German Labour Court rejected an appeal for Mainz to deny leave to appeal a previous finding.
That has now exhausted all avenues for the Bundesliga club making the decision legally binding.
The court said the freedom of expression outweighed the club’s interests.
After the verdict, El Ghazi posted on X: "Time for the deluded decision makers at Mainz to give it a rest and pay up the remainder of my contract.”
El Ghazi scored 26 goals in 119 games and is currently playing his football in Qatar.
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