“Simply unsportsmanlike”
©IMAGO
After losing relegation to the 2nd Bundesliga, defender Ben Hüning from Rot-Weiss Essen is really upset with Greuther Fürth’s striker Noel Futkeu. The direct opponents had tough duels in the first and second leg. According to Hüning, Futkeu provoked unnecessarily on Tuesday evening after his goal to make it 1-0 in the 29th minute. Meanwhile, despite the successful rescue, the Fürth fans once again clearly expressed their displeasure about the messed up season.
“For me, it’s completely wrong, completely ridiculous, that just doesn’t work,” complained Hüning about the second division top scorer on the TV channel “Sky”. “It’s just unsportsmanlike.” Mutual respect is “always necessary and important” in football. After his opening goal in the 2-0 win, Futkeu had probably shouted something at Hüning, then he ran along the Essen bench. “We had a great duel, a tough duel,” said Hüning, but he saw everything else from Futkeu as a mistake.
Futkeu on Hüning: “He knows exactly what he did in the first leg”
The striker, who is now moving to Eintracht Frankfurt, preferred not to say too much about his opponent. “I’m not going to get into him, I don’t want to. We won, stayed in the league, that’s it,” said Futkeu. “He knows exactly what he did in the first leg. They know exactly what they did in the first leg. I don’t need to say anything more.”
Last but not least, the second leg was extremely heated at the end. After the final whistle there was also a pack formation around Ruben Reisig from Essen, among others. Former Fürth player Dickson Abiama, who ran up, then pushed cloverleaf professional Paul Will, who fell to the ground. The Essen team was left with a lot of frustration, and some players even shed tears. After the 1-0 win in the first leg, they missed out on promotion to the 2nd Bundesliga after 19 years – although they had the best chances.
Hüning, who had shot Essen into relegation at the last minute, felt “completely empty” in the end. Goalkeeper Jakob Golz admitted: “It hurts incredibly.” But coach Uwe Koschinat also felt a lot of pride: “RWE has left an impression in Germany. That will remain at some point when the pain is over.”
Fürth fans angry: “Losser out! New beginning now!”
The fans of SpVgg Greuther Fürth were of course extremely happy about the total loss that had just been averted. Their verdict after a failed season for the Franconians in the 2nd Bundesliga was unmistakable after the relegation went smoothly. “On the pitch and in the committees: losers out! New beginning now!” was written on a banner in front of the curve of the most ardent Fürth supporters. There were repeated loud calls for the departure of managing director Holger Schwiewagner.
“I can understand the frustration of fans,” said the visibly shaken coach Heiko Vogel about the poster after the rescue. “I think that the club noticed this in advance. We know that we have homework. It requires a lot of work and analysis. You can be sure that we will do it.”
The farewell of the two star strikers, who both scored against Essen in the second leg, has already been decided. Noel Futkeu returns to Eintracht Frankfurt after two years, captain Branimir Hrgota is looking for a new challenge after seven years in Fürth. The duo will be difficult to replace. “I was extremely happy about the two goals. After the game you realize: Oh, oops, those are the last two goals they’ll score for you. In addition to the relief because of the relegation, there’s also sadness,” said Vogel.
SpVgg Greuther Fürth has a lot of work to do during the summer break. The squad needs to be rebuilt. After the failed experiments with Leonhard Haas, Jan Siewert and Thomas Kleine, a trainer in Vogel should finally work in Fürth on a long-term basis.
