Union Berlin has suspended David Datro Fofana for a week after he refused to shake his coach’s hand during the team’s Champions League loss to Napoli on Tuesday.
Fofana, who is on loan to the Bundesliga club from Chelsea, walked past Urs Fischer’s outstretched hand after he was substituted in the 70th minute in the 1-0 home defeat against the Italian champions on Tuesday.
The two briefly came into contact when Fischer appeared to bump into Fofana, who was replaced on the field by Kevin Behrens. The defeat was Union’s ninth consecutive loss in all competitions and third in three Champions League games.
Christian Arbeit, a spokesman for Union Berlin, said on Thursday that Fofana had apologized to Fischer and the club’s sports director, Oliver Ruhnert. Fischer said he hopes Fofana learns from the incident and that “it’s about accepting decisions.”
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Chelsea fans are furious over the scheduling of Wolves’ game on Christmas Eve
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A Chelsea fan group has called for the Premier League to reverse its decision to play the club’s December game at Wolves on Christmas Eve. The Premier League has confirmed in its latest list of fixture changes that kick-off has been moved from the original 3pm kick-off on December 23 to 1pm on Sunday to allow for live broadcast on Sky Sports.
Chelsea’s visit to Molineux on December 24 will be the first top-flight match played on Christmas Eve since 1995 and Chelsea Supporters’ Trust said it was “completely unacceptable”.
The group said in a statement: “Since rumors began circulating on this issue, the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust have been clear that the choice of this kick-off time will present a further hurdle for many fans ahead of the game. Not only could this lead to staffing problems at Molineux, but holiday transport timetables will further exacerbate the inconvenience for fans.
“On Tuesday 24 October we requested an urgent meeting with the relevant decision-makers within the Premier League. We expect this meeting to take place very soon in conjunction with the Wolves 1877 Trust and the Football Supporters’ Association.”
“The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust will formally call on the Premier League to properly consult fans on this issue and to reverse this decision. We will provide CST members with a further update in due course.”
Leeds’ 3-1 home win over Manchester United in 1995 is the only other Premier League game played on Christmas Eve. PA Media
Fofana, who joined Chelsea from Norwegian club Molde in January for £8.7 million plus add-ons, previously apologized to the Union team and fans on Instagram, saying he would rather stay on the field than be substituted.
“The gesture was not intentional and in no way reflects my attitude,” wrote the 20-year-old Ivorian. “All of this came from frustration because I wanted to continue to help the team achieve a positive result.”
Fofana will train separately from the team during his suspension and will not be considered for selection against Werder Bremen for Saturday’s Bundesliga game – or against Stuttgart in the DFB Cup on Tuesday, Arbeit said. He will return to team training on Wednesday, November 1st.
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After four appearances for Chelsea last season, Fofana was sent on loan to the Bundesliga club in July. He has yet to score a goal for Union in eleven appearances, with his last competitive goal coming in the Norwegian league last November.
