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Nice suspend Youcef Atal for post about Israel-Hamas war

Algeria international Youcef Atal was suspended by Nice on Wednesday for a social media post about the Israel-Hamas war, the Ligue 1 club said on Wednesday.

Atal, a defender who has been at Nice since 2018, has since apologised and deleted the post.

He had been on international duty with Algeria and was summoned to speak with the club as soon as he returned.

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.

"Nevertheless, 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."