Bellingham row at Dortmund? Kehl sets the record straight | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund dispels rumors about Jobe Bellingham's father. Sporting director Sebastian Kehl clarifies: There is no conflict with coach Niko Kovac.

Before the Bundesliga match against RB Leipzig (1:1), the focus at Borussia Dortmund was once again on Jobe Bellingham – or more specifically, his father Mark. A report by BILD suggested that the 49-year-old was "intensely pursuing" coach Niko Kovac, because he was dissatisfied with his son's playing time.

BVB sporting director Sebastian Kehl firmly rejected these reports. "There is no pursuing. That's nonsense! Papa Bellingham is not standing at the training ground waiting for the coach to drive out," Kehl explained on Saturday afternoon on DAZN.

At the end of August, there was already an incident where Mark Bellingham gained unauthorized access to the catacombs after the Bundesliga opener at FC St. Pauli and confronted the BVB sporting director. Kehl now emphasized that the issue was resolved back then: "There was a clear conversation and nothing further to comment on. We addressed it, and the matter was settled."

BVB boss Kehl dispels rumors about Bellingham

Despite recent speculations, Kehl showed understanding towards the young midfielder: "It's clear that Jobe might want to play more. That's okay, he's ambitious, he fights and trains hard." At the same time, he stressed that the coach's decision not to play every player all the time is part of reality: "The guys who are currently playing are doing well. It's difficult for the coach to leave out a Sabitzer and a Nmecha. But we will need Jobe."

Coach Niko Kovac also responded rather reservedly to inquiries. When asked about reports of allegedly difficult communication with Mark Bellingham, he smiled on Sky: "Yes, but they seem to want to know a lot, I have a Bundesliga match right now and they're asking me all sorts of things. I understand that, but they also understand me, I believe. I see the Bundesliga as the priority now and wish you lots of fun in the studio."

With this, BVB is trying to finally dispel the rumors about Bellingham senior and refocus on the sporting tasks at hand.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.