Kuntz unrest in the squad? Here’s what Merlin Polzin says | OneFootball

In recent days, the focus on football at HSV has faded significantly into the background. The controversial referee decisions during the bitter 2-1 defeat in Freiburg seem as forgotten as the upcoming home match against Bayer Leverkusen.

Before the last match of the first half of the season, almost everything in the Hanseatic city revolves around former sporting director Stefan Kuntz. The 63-year-old has been accused of verbal sexual harassment by several female HSV employees. The supervisory board considers the allegations to be “credible” and refers to “serious misconduct” in an official statement. Kuntz himself denied the accusation on Sunday evening via Instagram and sees himself as the victim of a “smear campaign.”

It is clear that the last word on this matter has not yet been spoken. For now, however, the Rothosen want to fully focus on their athletic performance. “There is nothing to add to the supervisory board’s statement at this time,” said press spokesman Philipp Langer on Monday afternoon at the press conference ahead of the Leverkusen match.

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One thing is clear, however: The controversy surrounding Kuntz is also affecting the HSV players. “Of course we talked about it, it’s a topic within the team,” confirmed Merlin Polzin. At the same time, the head coach set the course for the difficult duel with Leverkusen. “My motto and our credo is that we focus on the things we can influence.”

Despite the enormous unrest, the team has “prepared as professionally as possible” and is determined “to do better than on Saturday.” On matchday 16, HSV lost 2-1 at SC Freiburg.

Polzin did not want to use the numerous questionable decisions by referee Timo Gerach as the sole excuse for the defeat. “There were a lot of things we didn’t like. Especially in the first half hour, we failed to find the right triggers,” the 35-year-old noted critically. That is something they now aim to improve against the Champions League participant from the Rhineland.

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