BELGRADE: Germany midfielder Felix Nmecha will not repeat a club goal celebration that triggered a furor over what was perceived as a nod to ultra-convervative Christian beliefs with the national tyeam, coach Juergen Klopp said on Thursday.
Klopp, whose side face Serbia in the Nations League on Friday, has discussed the matter with the 26-year-old Nmecha.
“It was a big issue,” Klopp told a press conference. “Last weekend I saw Felix score two great goals and saw the celebration and then the gesture. I did think nothing of it at the time. But then it all kicked off.”
Nmecha celebrated during Borussia Dortmund’s 2-1 win over Elversberg last week in which he scored both goals with a gesture that imitated taking a crown off his head and placing it on the grass.
That was seen by many fans as a nod to the campaign “The King’s Return,” linked to Ballers in God (BIG), a network of Christian football players.
“He told me he loves all people and discriminated against no one, so for me the most important issue was settled.” Klopp said. “Then I said ‘how do we do it with the goal celebration?’. He will not be celebrating like that.”
