After throwing a lighter
©IMAGO
Coach Dieter Hecking is hoping for his regular goalkeeper Patrick Drewes to return on Sunday against 1. FC Heidenheim. The 31-year-old only trained in the weight room on Tuesday after throwing a lighter. The central role is played by the psyche, the VfL Bochum coach emphasized to the “WAZ”: “Physically, I no longer see any limitations. It’s now about the mental component.”
Drewes will also train individually on Wednesday before returning to the pitch on Thursday. “But he has to process the events, it’s not that easy. I think many people underestimate what happened to him mentally after the lighter was thrown and then afterwards. “So he should first find peace in our group,” said Hecking, supporting his goalkeeper. “In the last two days it has been extreme what has been thrown at him on social media, who has commented and how they have commented, there has been a lot of discussion about him.”
By this, Hecking primarily means criticism below the belt and accusations of acting – on which he has a clear opinion: “Anyone who dares to judge has not experienced it yet. A banal example: If you are suddenly tapped on the shoulder from behind, you also flinch.” Drewes had complained of headaches, nausea and malaise after the incident and was examined in hospital.
Union Berlin: Statement on throwing lighters by Thursday
Union Berlin has until Thursday to submit a statement to the German Football Association about the throwing of lighters in the game against VfL. The club announced this on the sidelines of training in preparation for the game at Werder Bremen on Saturday.
In the last home game of the year, a 1-1 draw against Bochum last Saturday, Drewes was hit by a lighter that was thrown from a block with Union fans. The game then had to be interrupted for almost 30 minutes. Bochum protested against the scoring of the game on Monday.