Club President Reinhold Lunow from Borussia Dortmund puts his trust in newcomer Felix Nmecha despite initial skepticism because of his highly controversial Internet posts.
“Felix Nmecha’s commitment has led to controversial discussions because he had shared content that could certainly be interpreted as homophobic or anti-queer. I therefore initially had great concerns as to whether he shared the values of our Borussia,” Lunow tweeted after the announcement of the transfer.
In a direct conversation with 22-year-old Nmecha, which he had with BVB Managing Director Hans-Joachim Watzke before the commitment, “he credibly assured me that he shares the values of our basic code of values and will act accordingly,” reported Lunow. In view of “the criticism in the run-up to the transfer, the national player will still have to earn the trust of many Black and Yellows,” said the BVB President: “He has my trust.”
They want to support the young professional in “developing as a footballer and as a personality,” coach Edin Terzic was quoted as saying on BVB’s social media channels.
Nmecha: Things taken out of context
When the change was announced, Nmecha asked the Dortmund fans for “the chance” to “get to know me” and to see “I hope I’m a great person”. When criticizing his posts on social media, which fans had described as homophobic and anti-queer, some things were taken out of context, says Nmecha: “Of course I’m a Christian, but I love everyone and I don’t discriminate either.”
Watzke and Lunow asked for leniency. Nmecha is “very young, his religion is deeply rooted in him and he – like all of us – is certainly not perfect. But in intensive discussions he absolutely convinced us that he has no transphobic or homophobic ideas”.
Meanwhile, Terzic is looking forward to the sporting qualities of the midfielder, who comes from VfL Wolfsburg for an estimated 30 million euros and is to replace Jude Bellingham, who has moved to Real Madrid: “We are sure that Felix can very quickly become an important part of our team and will help us grow together.”
