Bayern Munich Starts Mazraoui Despite Pro-Palestine Posts Amid Israel-Hamas Conflict

Bayern Munich lined up Noussair Mazraoui for their match against Galatasaray in the third round of the Champions League. This is proof that the German club has definitively drawn a line under the controversy sparked by the Moroccan international’s support for Palestine. The 25-year-old player was criticized for his Instagram posts in which he took a stand in the war between the Hamas movement and Israel.

In a video posted on Instagram showing the image of a Palestinian flag being waved, accompanied by a voiceover resembling a prayer: "God help our persecuted brothers in Palestine, so that they may obtain victory. May God have mercy on the dead, may God heal the wounded," he wished for the "victory" of the Palestinians, thus taking the opposite position to that of Bayern Munich. "FC Bayern stands by the Jewish community in Germany and Israel. Nothing justifies the murder of children and families," reads the club’s statement.

Bayern Munich waited for his return from Africa, where he participated in the friendly match between the Moroccan team and Côte d’Ivoire (1-1) and the Morocco-Liberia (3-0) match counting for the last round of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN 2023) qualifiers, to have an in-depth discussion with him and put an end to the controversy. On Monday, Mazraoui participated in training with his club. He is part of the group that will travel to Istanbul for the Champions League match between Bayern Munich and Galatasaray.