Cologne (dpa) – surreptitious advertising or cult celebrations? Anthony Modeste from the Bundesliga soccer club 1. FC Köln caused discussions with his goal celebration in the 3-1 win against Arminia Bielefeld and received a strong rebuke from his coach.
After his goal to make it 2-1, the Frenchman ran behind the goal in the 43rd minute, where he had deposited a pack of the coffee he had produced in an FC bag from the fan shop and held it up to the camera. Then he threw the package into the ranks. “I never forget where I come from,” said Modeste afterwards with a wink: “It was a little thank you because the fans always support us. So I gave some coffee. I can’t give my jersey.”
His coach Steffen Baumgart found the action less funny. “It’s always thin ice,” he said: “You mustn’t overdo it, otherwise you’ll usually get – to put it a little harshly – in the face at some point. I don’t want to say more about that.”
Sky expert Dietmar Hamann expects further trouble for the goalscorer. “He will get a penalty, rightly so,” said the former international. “In today’s world, when it’s all about commerce, when the relationship between fans and players is scratched, it’s not very sensitive. I have little understanding for that.” In December, Modeste presented his own coffee brand.