Anwar El Ghazi is a free agent after his contract terminated by Bundesliga club Mainz last autumn. Getty Images
Anwar El Ghazi is a free agent after his contract terminated by Bundesliga club Mainz last autumn. Getty Images
Anwar El Ghazi is a free agent after his contract terminated by Bundesliga club Mainz last autumn. Getty Images
Anwar El Ghazi is a free agent after his contract terminated by Bundesliga club Mainz last autumn. Getty Images

Anwar El Ghazi set to sign with Cardiff after winning case against Mainz over Gaza posts


Steve Luckings
  • English
  • Arabic

Former Netherlands international Anwar El Ghazi is set to sign for Cardiff City on a free transfer.

El Ghazi, 29, is a free agent having had his contract terminated by Bundesliga club Mainz last autumn over a series of social media posts referencing the conflict in Gaza.

The former Everton and Aston Villa player won a wrongful dismissal case against the German club at the Labour Court of Mainz earlier this month.

El Ghazi underwent a medical with the Championship club on Wednesday and is expected to be confirmed as a Bluebirds player within 24 hours.

His impending move to the Welsh capital will bring to an end a turbulent time in the Dutchman's career following his troubles at Mainz.

The former Ajax and Lille winger took to social media to express his thanks for the labour court's verdict while also continuing his support for those affected by the ongoing assault by Israeli forces in Gaza.

"It is difficult for me to celebrate my recent legal victory when the apocalyptic assault on the defenceless civilians and children in Gaza continues as I type this message," El Ghazi posted on Instagram.

"My case is a victory for freedom of speech against the unjustified and illegal actions of FSV Mainz in attempting to terminate my contract for simply standing with humanity and what is right."

On July 12, the court ordered the Bundesliga club to hand over more than £1 million in unpaid wages and bonuses.

El Ghazi was thought to have another year left on his deal at Mainz, with a clause activated after the club avoided relegation to remain in the Bundesliga.

Sky Sports reported that El Ghazi is yet to be paid by Mainz and he is now expected to terminate his contract and seek damages for the money he is owed.

El Ghazi joined Villa on loan in 2018 before the deal was made permanent, scoring 20 goals in 102 league appearances for the Midlands club.

He was loaned to Everton in January 2022, making only two appearances before returning to the Netherlands to join PSV Eindhoven and then switching to Mainz last September, signing a two-year contract.

Due to his dispute with Mainz, El Ghazi played only four games last season and has not had a competitive outing since October 6, 2023.

El Ghazi ended his social media post saying that the turmoil he has endured palls in comparison to those suffering the horrors of war but that he is "ready to go again and play football at the highest level".

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.

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match info

Maratha Arabians 138-2

C Lynn 91*, A Lyth 20, B Laughlin 1-15

Team Abu Dhabi 114-3

L Wright 40*, L Malinga 0-13, M McClenaghan 1-17

Maratha Arabians won by 24 runs

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Updated: July 31, 2024, 3:16 PM