After a heated neighborhood duel, coach Alexander Frei didn’t have himself under control. He allowed himself to be carried away into an unpleasant gesture. He has since commented on the incident.
Tempers sometimes run high in a derby. Alexander Frei has known this since his time at Borussia Dortmund. There he even became a hero in a duel with BVB’s local rivals Schalke 04. In September 2008, the former goalscorer with two goals and an assist was a decisive factor in Dortmund turning a 3-0 half-time deficit against the Royal Blues into a celebrated one Draw converted.
This week, however, Frei, who now works as a coach in his native Switzerland, made a misstep. With his team, the second division club FC Aarau, he competed in the local derby against FC Baden on Tuesday. His team won 2-1 and moved up to third place in the table. But despite the feeling of success, Frei was tempted to make an unpleasant gesture after the final whistle.
At first everything seemed fine. Frei shook hands with his Baden coaching colleague Michael Winsauer and then even walked towards the locker room with a smile. But shortly before the entrance to the stadium catacombs, Frei’s mood changed. Packaged as a scratch on the head, he suddenly gave the home fans the middle finger – and disappeared.
Frei: “Shouldn’t have reacted like that”
In a statement published on Thursday, Frei’s club explained the background. Frei’s reaction arose from “persistent insults and provocations as well as the emotions of the game.” At the same time, the people of Aarau made it clear: “This act should not have happened.”
Frei, the Swiss national team’s record goalscorer with 42 goals, also appeared remorseful two days after the incident: “I would like to formally apologize for my inappropriate gesture. As a coach and in my role model role, I should not have reacted like that.”
Lucky for Frei: He received no punishment or suspension from the league association. The 44-year-old will be on the sidelines again on Friday evening. Then his team is challenged by leaders FC Sion. There he wants to have better control over himself again.