Nico Schlotterbeck’s efforts to mend his relationship with Borussia Dortmund supporters fell short for some during Saturday’s Bundesliga match. Despite recently signing a contract extension with the club, Schlotterbeck faced frequent jeers and whistles from a section of the home crowd at Signal Iduna Park during the matchday 29 encounter against Bayer Leverkusen whenever he touched the ball.
Numerous Borussia Dortmund players voiced their strong disapproval of the crowd’s actions. While Schlotterbeck made some controversial remarks during the protracted contract extension negotiations, he recently made a dedicated effort to appease the club’s fanbase in a video released by the club. However, some BVB supporters apparently remained dissatisfied that Schlotterbeck’s new deal still includes a clause for an easy exit if necessary.
Borussia Dortmund Defense Nico Schlotterbeck
Julian Brandt, who is set to depart the club this summer, told DAZN, “The whole situation is complex and there’s been a lot of coverage. As Nico himself said in his interview last week, you really can’t please everyone. There are always some people who aren’t happy with something. He’s a very, very respected player on our team. We like him. For the club, it’s fantastic that we managed to find a solution. Everything else is just noise.”
BVB defender Waldemar Anton added in the mixed zone, “We’re very happy that Schlotti has extended his contract. He’s earned it. I don’t think anyone deserves to be booed, especially not here in our own stadium. These are things that just don’t work. It hurts us as a team and everyone in the stands needs to know that. We can’t accept something like that as a team. It’s outrageous in my opinion.”
“We all are in favor of people expressing their opinion, but we are a community,” BVB boss Carsten Cramer told reporters. “As a representative of Borussia Dortmund, I simply don’t want our players to be confronted with boos while on the field wearing black-and-yellow jerseys. That’s not appropriate.”
Head coach Niko Kovac stated, “Of course, that kind of thing isn’t acceptable. He’s a Borussia player. We’re all Borussia fans here in the stadium. Every single player needs the fans’ support. I don’t think it was the majority of the stadium, but that’s not acceptable.”
