German club SV Darmstadt, currently propping up the Bundesliga table, have officially parted company with midfielder Anis Ben-Hatira as a result of the Tunisian international's public ties to a controversial charitable organisation that has alleged associations with radical Islam in the Middle East and Africa.
A statement from Darmstadt explained that while Ben-Hatira has always personally behaved 'impeccably' since arriving at the club in 2016, it was felt that his 'humanitarian assistance' is a mistake because of the organisation that he has allied himself to.
Ben-Hatira has donated to and promoted the Ansaar International group, which is classified under the German constitution as an extremist organisation.
The German-born player, who joined Darmstadt from Eintracht Frankfurt after five years with Hertha Berlin, has been the subject of public criticism in Germany for several weeks.
He was also recently singled out by German interior minister Peter Beuth, who spoke of sport as being a central pillar in the fight against extremism.
Ben-Hatira has been particularly vocal on his public Facebook page, and made claims of a 'smear campaign' against him in a pair of lengthy posts earlier this week.
On the field it has been a torrid campaign for Darmstadt after initially earning promotion in 2015. The club has just nine points to show for 17 games played so far, while only a 0-0 draw against Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday ended a run of eight straight defeats.
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