When a coach loses his nerve: Nenad Bjelica’s outburst primarily affects the team he is supposed to save. He will be suspended for three games.
Nenad Bjelica was suspended for three games less than 24 hours after his outburst, but it remains to be seen whether the 52-year-old coach of 1. FC Union Berlin will face further consequences. After grabbing Leroy Sané’s face twice in the Eisernen’s catch-up game at FC Bayern Munich, Bjelica seems to have gotten off lightly. He and the club accepted the suspension and the fine of 25,000 euros for the coach, who had only been in office for two months and had also been publicly criticized for his behavior by his own players.
“Emotions are okay, and they should also be lived out on the pitch. If it gets physical, it won’t work for the player and it won’t work for the coach either,” said Union national player Robin Gosens. “We’re already in a phase where we need all the support we can get, where we need our trainers on the sidelines to motivate us, coach us and be there.”
Without a head coach in two basement duels
Instead, Bjelica is not allowed to enter the interior of the respective stadiums for the next three Union games. This applies to the games on Sunday at home against the bottom of the table SV Darmstadt 98, the following weekend at RB Leipzig and on February 7th in the next duel with a relegation rival at FSV Mainz 05. This means that Bjelica is not allowed “during one of his team’s games in the stadium interior,” as the DFB explained in its notice of the penalty. “The indoor ban begins half an hour before the start of the game and ends half an hour after the final whistle.”
During this time, Bjelica is not allowed to be inside, in the changing rooms, in the players’ tunnel or in the locker room corridor. During the entire period, he is not allowed to have any direct or indirect contact with the team.
Union press conference on Friday
His team of assistants will have to take care of that. It is not yet known what the exact responsibilities will be and who will take on what responsibility in the potentially groundbreaking games. The press conference for the game is this Friday in Berlin-Köpenick.
Gosens has known Bjelica since his appointment on November 27th, and Gosens knows Leroy Sané. Both were emotional, “just in the game,” reported Gosens, who tried to mediate between the two ten minutes after being substituted: “I actually just intervened and tried to prevent the worst.”
Bjelica said at the press conference late on Wednesday evening that he felt provoked in his coaching zone. After just his seventh competitive game as Union coach, he explained: “He pushed me, then I reacted how I shouldn’t react.” He was sorry for the team, for the club. Bjelica didn’t want to apologize to Sané.
One name stimulates the imagination: Steffen Baumgart
“Bjelica is no longer wearable,” commented the specialist magazine “Kicker” on Thursday. “The Union must fire the scandal coach now,” demanded the “Bild” even before the verdict was known. Even the Bundesliga’s live ticker had written about the freakout: “The Berlin coach completely loses his nerve. Bjelica’s hand really has no place in Sané’s face.”
Even if it is not the first freak out by a coach – the headbutt by Norbert Meier in December 2005 as coach of MSV Duisburg against player Albert Streit from 1. FC Köln, including a dramatic fall over, is particularly fondly remembered for Bjelica and 1. FC Union he could be decisive in the fight to stay in the first league.
After parting with Urs Fischer with a heavy heart, Bjelica was supposed to lift up the troubled Köpenickers again. His appearance in Munich is now a serious setback. Bjelica had emphasized before the punishment was announced that he would lead the training. It remains to be seen whether and how the club will react. The fact that a very good old acquaintance at the Försterei, Steffen Baumgart, is currently without a job after leaving 1. FC Köln, but still has an emotional connection to the Eisern, should stimulate the imagination of some fans.
Sané has “already forgotten” the incident
Bjelica could have gotten away with the three games. The former top referee Manuel Gräfe had predicted a ban of at least four to six games. “Assault occurs when the player intentionally uses physical force against an opponent. Kicking, hitting, pushing, biting and spitting are typical offenses. Punishment: from at least six weeks to six months,” says a general article Red cards on the DFB homepage.
However, the punishment can be mitigated if an act contrary to sportsmanship was committed by the opponent immediately before an offense. The minimum penalty is then usually reduced to three games. The extent to which which actions had an impact was not made clear in the judgment.
At least Sané dealt with the matter quickly. “I don’t hold grudges when it comes to something like that and the scene has already been forgotten for me,” he told “Bild”: “As far as I know, he was a little emotional after the scene in our penalty area.” It was about a missed penalty. The guests loudly complained about what they believed was a penalty-worthy foul by Konrad Laimer on striker Kevin Behrens (72′).