Arsenal Accused of Ending Footballer Elneny’s Contract over Supporting Palestine
Rai Al-Youm reported on Friday that the stated reason for the termination of Elneny's contract was that his team's coach, Mikel Arteta, no longer wanted him on the team.
However, the news outlet reported fans stating on social media that Elneny is paying the price for his candid support for Palestine, and some of them linked it to the UK government's blacklisting of Hamas.
Elneny's agent, Alaa Nazmi, said that Arsenal did not agree to renew Elneny's contract following his position on a "global issue", noting that the club has the right to do so.
His fans stressed that the "global issue" was his support for Palestine, as Elneny has expressed his sympathy and support for the Palestinians to be deported from their homes in Jerusalem al-Quds’ Sheikh Jarrah.
One of his fans retweeted an old tweet of Elneny's, in which he posted: "My heart, my spirit, and my support for Palestine!"
Rai Al-Youm disclosed that this angered Jewish organization in the UK, the Board of Deputies, while its member Tal Ofer tweeted that Arsenal had disowned Mesut Ozil over his tweet about Uighur Muslims.
Ofer also indicated that he sent a letter to Arsenal's administrative director asking about the club's position regarding Elneny's tweet.
Arsenal responded: "All players have the right to express their opinions on their social platforms. We will speak with Elneny who understands very well what he has posted on Twitter."
To which Ofer replied: "If Elneny knows very well what he has posted on Twitter, why has not he apologized?"
Source: Middle East Monitor
