Germany captain Alexandra Popp has called for an explanation from the court of the West German soccer association (WDFV) after Borussia Monchengladbach's Under-23 coach Heiko Vogel was ordered to take charge of six training sessions with a women's or girls' team.
The order was issued by the court after Vogel was found guilty of making inappropriate comments towards officials Vanessa Arlt and Nadine Westerhoff on January 30.
Vogel was hit with a fine of €1,500, a two-game ban and told to complete six female training sessions before June 30.
What was said?
Players from the top two divisions in Germany, including Popp, voiced their concerns via Instagram, stating: “The question arises as to how the training of a women's or girls' team can be defined as punishment.
“There is no value in offering to compensate for such unsporting behaviour by offering to train a women's team for a few hours.”
The statement added that the judgement “discriminates against all women in sport and especially in football.”
Decision to be reviewed
The WDFV has since responded to the players, with vice president Gundolf Walaschewski stating that the court has been asked to review the decision.
“There is no room for discrimination either in football or in society,” Walaschewski said. “The WDFV and the football family in North Rhine-Westphalia are expressly committed to this. That means no tolerance for sexist discrimination and no tolerance for discrimination in general.”
DFB also weighed in
The German football federation (DFB) vice president, Hannelore Ratzeburg, also expressed disbelief at the ruling.
“It's incomprehensible to me that training a women's team is seen as a punishment,” he said. “I can therefore understand the players' anger and why they have made themselves heard in public. We have been in talks with the WDFV for several days.
“The fact that the executive committee of the WDFV has ordered a review of the judgement is a correct and necessary sign.”