Amateur soccer and its promises: Clubs often don’t keep them, but it also happens that players back out. This is what happened at 1. FC Hirschkamp and VfB Bottrop.
FC Sterkrade 72 emerges as the “winner” from this transfer drama.
Before we go into detail: David Fojcik signs a contract with C-League club 1. FC Hirschkamp and yet remains in Sterkrade. And: Deniz Erdem (Arminia Klosterhardt) gives VfB Bottrop a verbal commitment for his transfer – and ends up going to FC Sterkrade 72.
No wonder those responsible at 1. FC Hirschkamp and VfB Bottrop are angry.
The case of Hirschkamp and Fojcik. The 36-year-old FC Sterkrade striker has already signed off with the 72ers and signed on with Hirschkamp for the new season starting July 1, 2024. Fojcik, who has scored 18 goals for Sterkade this season, was introduced via the Oberhausen C-League club’s social media channel with a video and photo. But then came the retraction
Nevertheless, we’re not going to punish him or anything like that. He knows he’s messed up. But he’ll be part of our squad in the new season.
Patrick Wojwod
A statement from 1. FC Hirschkamp reads: “It only took a few minutes for the presentation to go viral and for two more clubs to get in touch. Both clubs informed those responsible at 1. FC Hirschkamp that David Fojcik had also accepted and were speechless.”
And the Hirschkamp managers continue: “1. FC Hirschkamp has drawn immediate conclusions and has canceled all sponsorship deals, clothing, etc. for David Fojcik and removed him again. Fojcik will not be part of the heart project of 1. FC Hirschkamp! Loyalty and passion are the top priority for the future and David Fojcik does not bring this with him. And therefore “no deal”!”
Forecasting asked Sterkrade’s successful coach Patrick Wojwod, who led the 72ers to promotion to the district league, district cup victory and the indoor city championship this season.
Wojwod explained: “I can’t understand what David did and I don’t support it. The boy simply acted too early because he wanted to cut back. Then he sat down with his girlfriend and backed out. Nevertheless, we’re not going to punish him now or anything like that. He knows he made a mistake. But he will be part of our squad in the new season. “
This has all gone very badly. You get the feeling that a verbal commitment is no longer worth anything these days
Philipp Drießen
And then there’s the case of Deniz Erdem. The Arminia Klosterhardt player had actually made a verbal commitment to VfB Bottrop, who are on the verge of promotion to the Landesliga. But in the end, he also withdrew his promise and joined FC Sterkrade 72 for the new season.
“It was all very unfortunate. You get the feeling that a verbal commitment is no longer worth anything these days,” said Philipp Drießen, VfB’s sporting director, in the WAZ. In the meantime, you actually have to have an amateur contract signed directly or wait until June 30 before anything else happens, said Drießen.
Wojwod, who himself was a coach at VfB Bottrop, sees this personnel matter somewhat differently to the Fojcik case. Wojwod also places some of the blame on VfB.
“VfB should actually have learned from the past. When I was a coach, we also had cases like that. Guys said yes, but didn’t sign. And suddenly they were lured with amateur contracts and no longer knew anything about their verbal commitment. You have to say – unfortunately – that’s the way it is in this business. In my case, I’ve learned that I only present players when I have their signatures,” Wojwod explains to RS.
In the case of Erdem and Fojcik, FC Sterkrade has now received the commitments for the 2024/2025 season – in written and not just verbal form.