Homophobic and transphobic?
BVB sign national player Nmecha despite fan criticism
7/3/2023 8:39 p.m
BVB signed Felix Nmecha from league competitor Wolfsburg to replace Jew Bellingham who had emigrated. Parts of the Dortmund fan scene protest against the transfer. The reason is shared posts by the German national player on Instagram.
Borussia Dortmund faces a strong headwind for Felix Nmecha. The runner-up announced the previously controversial commitment of the German national soccer player from VfL Wolfsburg – and he clearly addressed the obvious topic of homophobia and transphobia allegations in his press release.
“We are aware,” said managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke and club president Reinhold Lunow in unison, “that the upcoming transfer has also caused criticism in the past few days due to two Internet postings that Felix shared. It was therefore important to us that Talking deeply with the player about their beliefs and values.” Nmecha had shared posts on Instagram that were clearly homophobic and transphobic.
Despite critical voices from the fan scene and minor protests, this did not stop BVB from transferring and paying an alleged fee of 30 million euros including bonuses – after all, the strictly religious Christian is supposed to replace star player Jude Bellingham, who has migrated to Real Madrid. “Felix is very young, his religion is deeply rooted in him and, like all of us, he is certainly not perfect,” said Watzke and Lunow. “But in intensive discussions he absolutely convinced us that he has no transphobic or homophobic ideas.”
Fan banner at the BVB office
Nmecha had asserted this in a superficial statement after deleting his posts. “Felix himself emphasized that he respects and loves all people, regardless of their skin color, religion or sexual orientation,” Watzke and Lunow stated. The player himself said only marginally: “I hope that the fans will give me the chance that we get to know each other and then they will see that I hope I’m a great person.”
Immediately after the transfer announcement, fans once again justified their rejection by saying that the questionable postings were not compatible with BVB’s code of values. It says: “We will always work for social success. By this we mean club life and a society without racism, anti-Semitism, LGBTI+ hostility, sexism, violence and discrimination. (…) We see ourselves as diverse, inclusive community, are home for Borussia, regardless of their age, appearance, gender, sexual identity and orientation, culture, belief, skin color, nationality or social background.”
BVB invested about a third of the proceeds from Bellingham’s sale to sign Nmecha. He is the second newcomer to BVB. At the beginning of June, the club announced the commitment of left-back Ramy Bensebaini, whose contract with Borussia Mönchengladbach had expired. The club is still facing headwind, and it was not only discussed on social media. A banner many meters long was recently attached to the BVB office on the B1 – with the clear demand to protect the values of the club.