The 1. FC Bocholt officials hadn’t reckoned with that. After the reserve coach was dismissed, he dismantled the team cabin as “revenge”.
No, Niko Laukötter did not want to accept his replacement at the end of the season. And the second team of 1. FC Bocholt, which he had been coaching since 2019, did not take this lying down either.
The consequences: a players’ strike, a game lost without a fight – Forecasting reported – and a team cabin that Laukötter simply dismantled after his immediate resignation.
One thing at a time: Last Saturday, Laukötter was informed by the club that a new coach would be coming in for the new season. Laukötter refused and resigned immediately. The team showed solidarity with him: they did not show up for the game in the Kreisliga A Rees-Bocholt in the afternoon against SV Brünen, and the game was counted as a 2-0 win for Brünen.
And Laukötter went one better: during the Corona pandemic, he had spruced up the second team’s dressing room on his own initiative, with lockers and cupboards for the players, everything looked very professional – now, out of frustration, he dismantled it again, even removing the floor – see photo, which was forwarded to the Forecasting editorial team.
The guys can’t just boycott the game for weeks and months now. That doesn’t help anyone, not even the players. As athletes, they should have a completely different ambition, they are still doing well in the table and could achieve something great. We’re going to talk a lot now and hope to get the cow off the ice.
Christopher Schorch
It is unclear how the second team will fare in sporting terms. Laukötter did not want to comment on his departure and the “clean-up” in the team cabin to RS.
We asked Christopher Schorch, managing director of 1. FC Bocholt, what led to Laukötter’s departure and how the district league reserve team will continue.
“Niko has his heart in the right place. He has never done anything wrong. We never really looked at the second team and the youth – we’ll make up for that. And so we decided that Niko is a good guy and can help us at 1. FC Bocholt, but no longer as coach of the second team and youth leader,” explained Schorch, who pointed out that the U19 and U17 teams have been relegated in the recent past.
But he also revealed: “We offered Niko a different role at the club after the season, but he turned that down. I think it’s a shame that he drew the line right away and stopped straight away. I can understand that he’s taking his personal belongings, like a table, a music system and speakers, out of the dressing room. After all, that’s his inventory.”
Despite the chaos: The door is not yet closed for Laukötter at Hünting. Schorch: “I’m currently talking to the team and also trying to get in touch with Niko. Right now, everything is very emotional. But that doesn’t help anyone. The guys can’t just boycott the game for weeks and months. That doesn’t help anyone, not even the players. As athletes, they should have a completely different ambition. They are still doing well in the table and could achieve something great. We will talk a lot again now and hope that we can get the cow off the ice.” wozi with sid