The OGC Nice (Olympique Gymnaste Club de Nice) have suspended Youcef Atal until further notice after a social media post regarding the ongoing situation in Gaza.
Mainz suspended Anwar El Ghazi on Tuesday.
Atal, a defender who has been at Nice since 2018, has since apologised and immediately deleted the post.
More than 4,000 people have died in the the war that began Oct. 7.
“OGC Nice understands that the player acknowledged his mistake by quickly removing the sharing of the publication and offered his written and public apologies,” Nice said in a statement
“However given the nature of the shared publication and its seriousness, the club took the decision to immediately take the first disciplinary sanctions against the player, prior to those that could be decided by the sports and judicial authorities.
“As such, the club has decided to suspend Youcef Atal until further notice.”
“I am aware that my post shocked many people, which wasn’t my intention, and I apologise,” Atal, 27, said on Instagram on Sunday.
“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.”
On Tuesday, Bundesliga club Mainz suspended forward Anwar El Ghazi for a social media post about the Israel-Hamas war that the German club felt was “unacceptable.”
