Ricken explains Bellingham fuss: "It wasn't a row"
Jobe Bellingham's father caused a stir after Dortmund's 3-3 draw with St. Pauli. BVB officials announced consequences, but don't see the incident as a dramatic incident.
Jobe Bellingham was a poor performer in his Bundesliga debut. IMAGO/Ole Jacobsen
Jude Bellingham provided an assist on his Bundesliga debut, helping Borussia Dortmund celebrate a 3-0 victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach (kicker rating 2.5). His brother, on the other hand, was a poor performer in his debut on Saturday (kicker rating 4) – but was still a topic of conversation following the 3-3 draw at FC St. Pauli , though he had his father to thank for that.
Mark Bellingham traveled from England to watch his son make his first Bundesliga appearance at Millerntor. Afterwards, he caused a stir in the catacombs: He had a discussion with sporting director Sebastian Kehl, and among other things, the subject was reportedly Jobe's substitution at halftime.
"I wasn't present at the meeting," BVB boss Lars Ricken emphasized on Sky90 on Sunday evening, but announced consequences: "We will ensure that we don't get into trouble again by commenting on such news." Only players, coaches, and officials will have access to the locker room area, Ricken clarified.
Nevertheless, he doesn't see the incident as a drama. "We got Jobe Bellingham because we built a relationship of trust with his parents over the years. Now the family flew in especially for their son's first Bundesliga game and wanted to meet Jobe at the bus stop after the game. Then they stood in the hallway to the locker room and had an emotional conversation with Sebastian, which, however, wasn't a problem at all given their relationship," Ricken reported. "Today, everything has been resolved."
"This won't happen again"Initially, there was talk that Mark Bellingham had gained access to the cabin area through contacts with security staff. "We now travel with our own security team, and because we know each other so well," they said, "Stay here, wait for your son," Ricken explained. "It wasn't a row, but a somewhat more emotional conversation. But of course, we'll be careful about that in the future."
Kehl himself had previously clarified via Bild that "the active area is and remains reserved for players, coaches, and management, not families and advisors. This will not happen again. We have clearly informed everyone involved of this."
Jobe Bellingham was in the BVB starting eleven for the first time this season against St. Pauli. He had been used as a substitute in Monday evening's DFB Cup first-round match against Rot-Weiss Essen (1-0) after undergoing dental surgery.
