A fifth-tier club is parting ways with five key players in the middle of the relegation battle. The reason for this is the so-called “Baller League”.
That doesn’t happen every day. In the middle of the season, Mittelrheinliga club F.V. Bonn-Endenich 1908 e.V. has parted ways with five players. “Blatantly important players, the backbone that shot the team into the Mittelrheinliga in the first place,” as sports director Markus Köppe announced. So why did they have to leave – and in the middle of the relegation battle?
All five of them – Leo Dos Santos, Tom Wüstenberg, Benne Palm, Florian Schöller and captain Abdenbi Oubelkhiri – also play in the so-called “Baller League” – a German indoor soccer league with innovative rules that was founded by Lukas Podolski and Mats Hummels in collaboration with other soccer and social media personalities.
In an emotional video on Facebook lasting almost 24 minutes, Köppe explained why this is not compatible with his F.V. Bonn-Endenich 1908 e.V. and why the club felt compelled to pull the plug. He said the Baller League had “spread like a virus.”
Like a virus, the baller league has spread through our cabin
Markus Köppe
The club had found out by chance that Dos Santos, Wüstenberg and Oubelkhiri had registered with the Baller League and had been assigned to teams in a so-called “draft”. As a result, the club initially allowed the players to play, after long discussions. After all, it’s their free time. However, the club officials were unaware that the players had to sign a contract.
“The first game was okay for us,” said Köppe. ‘Once a week, two 15-minute street soccer games.’ But on the second match day, three more players from F.V. Endenich showed up at the Baller League. And: ‘Suddenly it was really tough. With players up to the regional league level, former Bundesliga players who also want to show off,’ emphasizes Köppe.
All of this had an impact on the team’s performance and morale. As a result, the sports director withdrew his approval.
“The ball league spread through our dressing room like a virus. The focus shifted from the relegation battle to the ball league, and some didn’t even know who they were playing in the Mittelrhein league at the weekend.” Also, the team didn’t want to risk injury to six important players.
Köppe gave the players a choice: Baller League or FV Endenich. Jakub Merlan-Jarecki chose the FV – Dos Santos, Wüstenberg, Palm, Schöller, Oubelkhiri chose the Baller League.
My mood went from one minute to the next from great to terrible, because we’re talking about players here that we’ve broken our backs for
Markus Köppe
In the video, Köppe explained how important the five former protégés are to him, but at the same time emphasized how much has been done for them. On and off the pitch. “I appealed to the players’ honor and asked them to tone down their selfishness a bit.”
Without success. “Some of them enjoy it, others referred to their contracts or said they were thinking of the Bundesliga or Champions League. My mood went from one to the next to rock bottom, because we’re talking about players here that we’ve broken our asses for.”
Köppe made it clear that his statement was not an “anti-campaign” against these players, but merely an “enlightenment,” before once again taking aim at the Baller League.
Köppe takes aim at Baller League
The sports director had made it clear to the managing director of the construct what he thought of it. “I think the Mittelrhein Football Association takes a similar view. When people then stay away from club life for a fun fair league in the hall.”
Co-founder Podolski has also disappointed him. “He sits at the mic and says it’s a big stage. But then please also say that these are players who have given their club their word and see the baller league as more important.”
The development that “a recreational league is preferred to a football club” is frightening people, in any case. “This cannot be good. I hope that a solution will be found. I can only recommend that the ball league deal with the clubs. We are not the only club that is reacting with displeasure.”
So far, no one has dared to say it.