Bundesliga club St Pauli has sacked midfielder Genk Shaheen for a post on Instagram supporting his country's military intervention in northern Syria.
A few days ago, Turkey began Operation Spring of Peace in northern Syria, and raised Shahin's support for these
Operation anger among his fans.
"The club has relieved Genk Shaheen of his training and duties with the team with immediate effect," Saint Pauli said in a statement.
"The main factors behind these decisions are the repeated disregard for the club's principles and the need to protect the player."
Shahin published the post on Friday before it was deleted. Several Saint Pauli fans have called for the player to be fired, while the club has opened an investigation.
The club said Shaheen's contract remained in effect, but he was given permission to train and play with other clubs.
Shaheen, 26, joined St. Pauli in 2016 from Basaksehir.