Of all people, Noel Futkeu, who was born in Essen, became a controversial figure in the relegation duel. After his goal, he teased Ben Hüning and the Essen bank. The scenes caused criticism.
It was the 29th minute, Noel Futkeu’s 1-0 goal, which came after the match Fürth’s successful relegation duel for the last place in the 2nd Bundesliga had the strongest impact. The 23-year-old was initially less likely to celebrate his 20th goal of the season and the fact that he had put his team on the road to victory. First the attacker turned away to his opponent Ben Hüning and shouted a few words to the Essen native. He then walked in front of the RWE bank and made a “blablabla” gesture with his hand.
Hüning reacted clearly angrily in the interviews after the game: “For me, it’s completely wrong, completely ridiculous, that just doesn’t work. It’s just unsportsmanlike,” he said in an interview on Sky. Mutual respect is “always necessary and important” in football.
Provocations against Futkeu in the first leg
The fact that Futkeu comes from Essen is likely to add extra spice to the dispute. After working at Schwarz-Weiß Essen, the German-Cameroonian moved to RWE in 2019. Now, of all things, his former hometown club became the opponent in an emotional relegation.
Futkeu himself didn’t want to comment on the scene in detail: “I’m not going to go into it with him, I don’t want to. We’ve won, we’re staying in the league, that’s it,” said the attacker, but he then indicated: “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.”
Noel Futkeu had already taken center stage in the first leg. The 23-year-old SpVgg Greuther Fürth top scorer, the league’s top scorer with 19 goals, was particularly the focus of the Essen defense, which caused heated scenes and aggressive actions. Fürth coach Heiko Vogel found clear words about this at the press conference before the crucial second leg: “The goal of taking Noel Futkeu out of the game was even greater than the desire to score a goal.”
Despite numerous provocations, Futkeu kept his nerve and avoided a fifth yellow card, which would have banned him for the second leg. There he was finally able to play more freely. Especially with Hüning, he fought an intense duel in the showdown on Monday.
Futkeu doesn’t let it spoil the party mood
However, Futkeu didn’t let the friction put him out of his celebratory mood. After managing to stay in the league He said he was overwhelmed: “I’m overjoyed, overjoyed. That was exactly the way I wanted to say goodbye by staying in the league,” he said in the BR24Sport interview. At least the 23-year-old is still heading to the Main. Eintracht Frankfurt has exercised the buyback option for the player.
After a fabulous season with 20 goals and five assists, Futkeu is going back to the Bundesliga club with a big chest: The years at SpVgg were “very, very important”: “I was able to develop very well, I matured as a player, as a person, I really learned a lot, and it paid off to the maximum.”
In the video: Noel Futkeu after relegation: “I’m overjoyed”
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Source: BR24Sport on the radio May 27, 2026 – 5:55 a.m
