The Germany international striker has said he is sorry after news broke that he had made homophobic remarks to colleagues from another Bundesliga club when he was present.
Kevin Behrens joined VfL Wolfsburg for €2 million earlier this year, just weeks after making his debut for the national team in the run-up to the European Championship.
The 33-year-old has struggled to make an impact there, but his future at the club has become even more uncertain following poor behavior at a company event last month.
According to reports build Behrens was among a group of first-team players asked to autograph jerseys and other items by Wolfsburg’s marketing department.
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One of the jerseys given to him for autograph was a special edition Pride shirt featuring sponsor Volkswagen’s logo in rainbow colors.
Wolfsburg are among the most committed to diversity and inclusion among German football clubs and have worn such kits for several seasons.
Both our men’s and women’s teams will be playing in brand new diversity kits this weekend! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜 pic.twitter.com/lK32J52qrM
— VfL Wolfsburg EN/US 🇬🇧 🇺🇸 (@VfLWolfsburg_EN) March 12, 2021
However, Behrens would not sign the jersey. “Behrens repeatedly refused to sign the uniform, reportedly saying, “I don’t sign anything gay like that.”
“This caused fear among club employees.”
In response to inquiries about the incident, Wolfsburg said in a statement that it had “immediately dealt with it internally.”
According to the report, Behrens was told to explain himself to the club’s sporting director Sebastian Singirolts, and the striker “allegedly made it clear that he is not homophobic”.
Behrens also released his own statement. “My spontaneous comments were definitely not OK and I would like to apologize for that,” he told BILD.
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There were reports on social media that the player had been suspended, but this was not confirmed by Wolfsburg.
Contributed to Wolfsburger AllgemeineJournalist Thomas Gassmann said the incident was a big problem “for the Bundesliga club and its parent company VW”.
Compared to most other clubs in the Bundesliga, Wolfsburg continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to LGBTQ acceptance and continues to attract attention on matchdays.
Club captain Maximilian Arnold wore Pride’s rainbow captain’s armband in last weekend’s 3-1 win over Bochum and has worn it at all home and away matches.
The continued solidarity stands in stark contrast to an incident five years ago when Croatian winger Josip Brekalo, then playing for Wolfsburg, refused to wear an armband.
Last year also saw two separate incidents in which Felix Nmeka, one of the club’s standout midfielders at the time, shared homophobic and transphobic posts on Instagram. Nmeka, a devout Christian, was sold to Borussia Dortmund shortly after the second incident.
As for Behrens, his contract with Wolfsburg expires next summer. He has yet to start a Bundesliga game this season, playing just 42 minutes with three substitute appearances.
Guzman described the club’s response to homophobia as “upsetting”, adding: “The fans, the partners, the sponsors and even VW are asking themselves: Is that OK?” No expulsion, no warning, no hefty fine, no community service at a queer club?
“Even under new managing director Peter Christiansen, VfL seems to be finding it difficult to take a clear position after incidents like this. This was already evident in the case of Felix Nmeka .”
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Source: Outsports – www.outsports.com
