Martin Spohrer, the athletics coach of the Bundesliga soccer club Eintracht Frankfurt, has apologized to the Hoffenheim professional Christoph Baumgartner after a verbal derailment on the Internet. “I would like to expressly apologize for my tweet after the penalty situation in yesterday’s game in Hoffenheim! Something like this shouldn’t happen to me under any circumstances and was unprofessional!” Spohrer wrote on Twitter on Monday night.
At Eintracht the nerves are on edge
After the Austrian national player Baumgartner won a penalty in TSG’s 3-1 win over Frankfurt, Spohrer insulted the professional on Saturday via Twitter. He later deleted the tweet. “It happened when I was excited about what I thought was a provoked penalty, but this does not justify the tweet or the choice of words, for which I once again very clearly apologize, especially to Christoph Baumgartner!” Spohrer wrote. Coach Oliver Glasner also caused a stir after the game when he responded vehemently to a journalist’s question.
It was initially unclear whether the club would sanction the athletic trainer. Baumgartner is considered a possible Eintracht access for the coming season.
After the 31st Bundesliga matchday, the Frankfurters are in ninth place in the table, but by reaching the final of the DFB Cup on June 3rd in Berlin they have another chance to qualify for international business. Hoffenheim is currently in 14th place and also has a four-point lead over the relegation zone thanks to the win over Eintracht.
