After the game against Union Berlin, Fredi Bobic may have already guessed what was in store for him. Hertha BSC had just lost the Berlin city derby 2-0, another major setback in the fight against relegation. After the game, Bobic was dismissed as managing director of sport.
All of this could at least partially explain how the 51-year-old dealt with a reporter in an interview. After the derby, Bobic answered questions from RBB journalist Uri Zahavi. When asked if he could understand that “there is a coaching discussion from the outside”, he answered briefly and succinctly with “No”. Then, when the interview was actually over, Bobic followed up with a threat: “If you ask again, you’ll get a smack,” he threw at the reporter as he left.
The statement can be heard clearly in videos published by the broadcaster online. Moderator Arnd Zeigler also showed the scene on Sunday evening in his program “Zeigler’s wonderful world of football”. It was already clear that Bobic had to vacate his position as managing director at Hertha. He had taken up the post at the beginning of the 2021 season with big goals.
After all, the former national striker quickly realized that he had been wrong with his impulsive statement. “I’m very sorry, I reacted too emotionally. That was just a saying, which of course wasn’t meant that way. Please don’t overrate that in football shortly after a game,” Bobic apologized in the “Bild”.
Nevertheless, the outburst of the dismissed manager is an indication of how nervous Hertha is. The Berliners lost the first three games after the winter break, with a goal difference of 1:10. Especially the appearance at 0:5 against VfL Wolfsburg was embarrassing. Andreas “Zecke” Neuendorf and Benjamin Weber, who will take over Bobic’s position together, should now ensure better times.
Sources: RBB / “Image”
