Former Chelsea star Hakim Ziyech ‘mocks’ Israelis attacked in Amsterdam

The violence broke out in the aftermath of a UEFA Europa League match between Ajax Amsterdam and Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv

Former Chelsea FC star Hakim Ziyech, who captains the Morocco national team, appears to have mocked the victims of overnight attacks on Israeli football fans in Amsterdam.
In a post on Instagram, he equated the violence against Jewish fans with Israeli military operations in Gaza.
“If it’s not women and children then they run away,” he wrote while sharing footage of Israeli supporters fleeing a pro-Palestinian mob to his 11.4 million followers.
“And still free Palestina,” he added.
The violence broke out in the aftermath of a UEFA Europa League match between Ajax Amsterdam and Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday night.
Police said five people were taken to hospital and 62 arrests were made after groups of pro-Palestinian agitators began attacking the Israeli football fans at around midnight.
Isaac Herzog, the Israeli president, said the scenes were an “anti-Semitic pogrom” reminiscent of last year’s Hamas-led attacks on Israel.
Ziyech played for Ajax Amsterdam between 2016 and 2020, where he was given the nickname “The Wizard” by the club’s supporters.
Maccabi Tel Aviv striker Eran Zahavi, who played in Thursday’s match, called for UEFA to punish Ziyech.
“Stupid terror supporter. I hope you see it and punish him! @‌uefa_official,” he wrote on X.
Ajax issued a statement on Friday condemning the attacks, saying it was “horrified to learn” what had happened in the centre of Amsterdam after the match.
Born in the Netherlands to Moroccan parents, Ziyech opted to represent the Morocco national team at senior international level.
In September, he criticised the Moroccan government for its normalisation of ties with Israel, accusing it of being complicit in genocide.
“Let’s make one thing clear. F— Israel and every other country that supports this kind of behaviour. Free Palestine,” he wrote on social media.
In a follow-up post, he said his comments were targeted at “the government of our own country [Morocco] who supports genocide and all the countries that’s supporting that”. “Shame on you. Enough is enough.”
In 2020, he joined Chelsea from Ajax for a £33 million fee.
After a strong start for the west London club, the attacking midfielder’s performances declined and he was eventually sold to Turkish side Galatasaray in 2024.
In May, he was pictured holding a Palestine flag as Galatasaray celebrated winning the Turkish league.
UEFA, the body overseeing the Europa League, said in a statement it “strongly condemns” the violence that occurred after Thursday’s match.