Discipline
Dortmund push Felix Nmecha to drop crown celebration
Watzke says the club prefers insight, while Klopp reportedly promised the gesture will not be repeated.
Golviva NewsroomUpdated
Borussia Dortmund are dealing with a dispute over a goal celebration by midfielder Felix Nmecha, which angered some of the club's own supporters. According to Sky Sport, the club has taken measures against the player after the 2-1 win over SV 07 Elversberg.
The gesture, a crown, was read as a reference to Ballers in God, an evangelical Christian network. Der Spiegel reports that Nmecha has faced criticism for his closeness to the group, and cites the German football federation (DFB) as saying the network shared a video featuring Germany coach Jürgen Klopp without his consent.
Dortmund president Hans-Joachim Watzke has commented publicly and said the club prefers to rely on insight. Der Spiegel reports that he asked the player to give up the religiously charged celebration. ESPN reports that Klopp confronted Nmecha over the gesture and promised it will not be repeated.
Nmecha, 26, has scored four goals in nine appearances for Dortmund this season. Transfermarkt values him at €65m, while Golviva's valuation is €62m, about 5% below that figure. His contract runs until June 2030.
Sources
This article is based on reports by:
- RMC Sport — Le coup de pression de Dortmund à Felix Nmecha sur sa célébration polémique
- Der Spiegel — Fußball: »Ballers in God« teilten Jürgen-Klopp-Video dem DFB zufolge ohne Zustimmung
- Foot Mercato — Le Borussia Dortmund a recadré Felix Nmecha pour sa célébration "Ballers in God"
- kicker — Watzke appelliert an Nmecha: "Wir setzen immer eher auf Einsicht"
- ESPN — Klopp promises Nmecha won't repeat controversial crown celebration
- TuttoMercatoWeb — Caso Nmecha, il Borussia Dortmund interviene: gli ha chiesto di cambiare la sua esultanza
Written by the Golviva newsroom from the reports below, with figures from Golviva’s own database. Spotted a mistake? Tell us. · How we report
