Nico Schlotterbeck’s carefully calibrated attempt to rehabilitate his image with Borussia Dortmund fans proved insufficient for some home supporters during Saturday’s Bundesliga match. Schlotterbeck – despite having finally signed a BVB contract extension and committed himself to the club – was often jeered and whistled down when he touched the ball during the matchday 29 encounter with Bayer Leverkusen.
Plenty of Borussia Dortmund professionals condemned the behavior of the sold out crowd at Signal Iduna Park. The 26-year-old made some questionable statements as the drawn out saga of his extension talks drew to a close, yet made a concerted effort to appease club supporters in a club released video yesterday. Some BVB fans evidently remained displeased that Schlotterbeck’s new deal still accords him an easy exit if need be.
Borussia Dortmund Defense Nico Schlotterbeck
“The whole situation is complex and there’s been a lot of coverage,” Dortmund’s Julian Brandt – who will be leaving the club this summer – told DAZN. “As Nico himself said in his interview last week, you really can’t please everyone. There are always some people who aren’t happy with something. He’s a very, very respected player on our team. We like him. For the club, it’s fantastic that we managed to find a solution. Everything else is just noise.“
“We’re very happy that Schlotti has extended his contract,” BVB defender Waldemar Anton added in the mixed zone. “He’s earned it. I don’t think anyone deserves to be booed, especially not here in our own stadium. These are things that just don’t work. it hurts us as a team and everyone in the stands needs to know that. We can’t accept something like that as a team. It’s outrageous in my opinion.”
“We all in favor of people expressing their opinion, but we are a community,” BVB boss Carsten Cramer told reporters. “As a representative of Borussia Dortmund, I simply don’t want our players to be confronted with boos while on the field wearing black-and-yellow jerseys. That’s not appropriate.“
“Of course, that kind of thing isn’t acceptable,” head coach Niko Kovac said. “He’s a Borussia player. We’re all Borussia fans here in the stadium. Every single player needs the fans’ support. I don’t think it was the majority of the stadium, but that’s not acceptable.”
