basketball
“Very unwise”: criticism of Schröder’s statements to Kleber
Provides a topic of conversation: Dennis Schröder. photo
© Federico Gambarini/dpa
Dennis Schröder’s sharp criticism of teammate Maximilian Kleber caused violent reactions. Experts see the statements as harmful.
The German basketball captain Dennis Schröder has been criticized for his harsh statements about national team colleague Maximilian Kleber.
Record national player Patrick Femerling and ex-coach Stefan Koch expressed skepticism about Schröder and his appearance in the past few days at the new streaming provider Dyn. The statements were “very unwise, very destructive,” said Koch. “The actual processing is still ahead of the DBB. That is a criticism of the national coach, that is a criticism of the association. There is still a lot to work on before it starts in Asia.”
Schröder attacks Kleber
NBA star Schröder verbally attacked Kleber last weekend and spoke out against the professional taking part in the World Cup in Asia (August 25 to September 10) for Germany. The background is that Kleber did not take part in the home European Championship last year. “Maxi wasn’t there last year,” Schröder said on the “Got Nexxt” podcast. “If you haven’t made a commitment – that was actually the message for all of us – then you won’t be there next year either.”
In the meantime, the two professionals are said to have spoken out. Kleber subsequently declared that he would not take part in the World Cup. “The situation with Dennis and Maxi is of course very, very complicated. Dennis’ statements require a tough decision, because it polarizes you and drives a wedge in the middle,” said ex-captain Femerling. Schröder put Kleber in a situation “that doesn’t have to be”.