Above all, football means excitement and fair play. And yet scandals and faux pas are also part of the football business. Not only the fans, but also the players themselves can make the headlines with their behavior on and off the pitch.
This does not always happen with bad intentions: Even seemingly inconspicuous or even exemplary behavior have already led to small and large scandals in professional football. We take a look back and show curious scandals from recent football history.
1. Hansi Flick and the “steel helmet”
National coach Hansi Flick, who was still working as an assistant coach under Jogi Löw in 2012, is considered a calm and balanced character. The scandal that the coach allowed himself during the European Championships is all the more astonishing: in Gdansk, Poland, of all places, before the opening game against Poland, Flick recommended “putting on steel helmets” against free kicks near the goal.
The assistant coach at the time not only put his foot in it, he even triggered a real scandal. This apparently went so far that Hansi Flick apologized in the afternoon in a statement published by the German Football Association.
Generally apply War metaphors in sport as a hot topic. The statement was rated as particularly explosive given that it was made by a German in Gdansk. And: According to mdr.de, the German steel helmet applies as a symbol of hostility to democracy, the Wehrmacht under National Socialism and its atrocities in war.
Although Hansi Flick only wanted to warn against dangerous free-kicks with a metaphor, according to him, a “taste” remained.
In total an unfortunate and thoughtless statement, which remained scandalous but without serious consequences. Today, Hansi Flick is considered a successful coach who even won seven titles with FC Bayern. read more goal.pl and find out everything about the first federal leagues as well as about Hansi Flick and the national team.
2. Jogi Löw with the manicure
Who wants to be beautiful must suffer? In the case of former national coach Jogi Löw, this proverb could prove to be true. Löw came into focus in 2015 in the 7-0 win over Gibraltar curiously due to his nail care.
His manicure on the sidelines after the 4-0 made the whole of Germany gasp in disgust. The critics spoke of disrespect for the opponent. Looking back, Löw explained the oddity of the game with “a fingernail caught in the coach’s chair”. However, Löw could not escape the ridicule and allegations from the network.
Another curious scandal was triggered in 2015 by Pep Guardiola’s trouser tear. A number of users and press commentators joked about Pep’s burst trouser seams after winning the Champions League game against Porto. After all: The Bayern coach at the time took it with humor.
3. Sponsors confusion about Mario Götze
The following scandal shows the immense importance of cooperation between clubs and sponsors in the football business. Ironically, this was triggered by the offensive player Mario Götze, who moved from Dortmund to Munich in 2013.
Even with a first presentation, Götze accidentally caused a scandal. He appeared at the FC Bayern media conference in a Nike T-shirt. So far, so harmless? Not quite, as Adidas equips FC Bayern and was annoyed at the performance. After the “negative surprise”, as the sporting goods manufacturer put it, a conversation followed with the club.
While Götze had to pay a hefty fine, the first division club apologized to Adidas. Götze’s thoughtless choice of clothes is just one example of how fierce the competition between the sponsors is.
4. Kylian Mbappé and the missed photo op
France’s young star Kylian Mbappé usually makes a name for himself with sporting successes. The four goals scored by the superstar, who received the Golden Shoe despite losing in the World Cup final, are already legendary. Nevertheless, the top scorer of the tournament also draws attention off the pitch.
The scandal surrounding a missed photo shoot with the “Équipe Tricolore” may have been unintentional. The world star only followed his ideals: he was able to contact the advertising partners, including Belonged to bookmakers and fast food chains, do not identify. Nevertheless, the scandal followed. Critics accused the player, who wanted to change the internal agreement on image rights, of depravity and greed.
However, Mbappé donates the income generated from the image rights to good causes. A timely solution to the debate about image rights, which is superfluous for many, is not in sight.
5. Cristiano Ronaldo drinks water instead of coke
The shows how public footballers act Cause of Coca-Cola and Cristiano Ronaldo. During Euro 2020, the megastar accidentally caused a multi-billion dollar scandal – one of the strangest ever. During a press conference, Ronaldo demonstratively pushed away the Coca-Cola bottles positioned for advertising purposes. He then pulled out an unbranded water bottle and said “Agua.”
Not surprising considering the superstar is very concerned about his health. Because there are already 27 grams of sugar in 250 ml of cola. This apparently harmless gesture grew into a scandal, since Coca-Cola was one of the main sponsors of the European Championship.
At the same time as Cristiano’s statement about water, the Coca-Cola share price collapsed. Although “only” by 1.6 percent, which brought the beverage manufacturer a billion dollar loss. Coca-Cola then responded with a statement: Of course, every player can drink whatever he wants. Nonetheless, Ronaldo’s action was a “storm in a teacup” that garnered more media attention than the previous game.
6. Lionel Messi wears bischt
The Soccer World Cup in Qatar was considered a controversial tournament from the start for a variety of reasons. Loud br.de the host country was criticized primarily for allegations of corruption and human rights violations.
While some boycotted the tournament entirely, the public media reported critically. In the middle of the hustle and bustle of the desert was superstar Lionel Messi, who caused a scandal in the final of all places. After winning the world title, Messi wrapped himself in a black robe, the so-called bischt. It was Qatar’s Emir Tamim who imposed the bischt on Messi and sparked a global debate.
As the “ZDF” reportsthe coat will actually worn by high figures or religious dignitaries. For the Arab hosts, traditional clothing on festive occasions is part of the culture. But the positive connotation from Qatar was not well received in the West. Many found the gesture questionable at best and expressed surprise. According to the accusation, Messi’s attention was withdrawn and obviously drawn to the host country.
One thing is certain: the evening will not only be remembered by Messi. Off the pitch, too, he has gone down in football history as a symbol of cultural differences.
The noble overgarment that Messi was put on at the award ceremony is made of sheep’s wool or camel’s hair. It partially covered his jersey. During the celebration on the pitch, Messi quickly took the robe off again.