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”. After long discussions, the club initially allowed the players to play. After all, it’s their free time. However, the Mittelrheinliga 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 make a good impression,’ 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 against 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 they’ve also done for him. On and off the pitch. “I appealed to the players’ honor and asked them to curb their selfishness a bit.”
Without success. “Some enjoy it, others referred to the contract or see themselves in the Bundesliga or Champions League. My mood went from zero to negative six in no time because we’re talking about players here for whom we’ve broken our backs.”
Köppe made it clear that his statement was not an “anti-campaign” against these players, but merely an “enlightenment,” before he shot again in the direction of the Baller League.
Köppe shoots against the 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 stay away from club life for a fairground league in the hall.”
Co-founder Podolski has also disappointed him. ”He sits at the mic and says it’s a huge stage. But then please also say that these are players who have given their club their word and see more value in the baller league.”
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.