Boos for BVB star in Stuttgart? „At some point it should stop“ | OneFootball

Before Waldemar Anton’s return to VfB Stuttgart, Niko Kovac has a clear message for the fans. The BVB coach hopes the boos aimed at his defender will finally come to an end.

Waldemar Anton is set for a special Bundesliga match on Saturday evening. The center-back will line up for Borussia Dortmund at 6:30 p.m. against his former club VfB Stuttgart. There, the 30-year-old is once again unlikely to receive a warm welcome. However, BVB coach Niko Kovac hopes that Stuttgart’s supporters will eventually let the past rest.

Anton left Stuttgart in the summer of 2024 to join BVB. What particularly angered many VfB fans was that the then-captain had extended his contract only a few months earlier. A release clause still made the move to Dortmund possible afterward. As a result, Anton was loudly booed when he later returned to Stuttgart.

Kovac can only partly understand the ongoing resentment. “Is that normal? I don’t think so,” the Dortmund coach said ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides. He also pointed to similar reactions toward other professionals. His message to the fans is clear: “At some point, it also has to stop.”

BVB coach Kovac comes to Waldemar Anton’s defense

At the same time, Kovac reminded people of the role Anton played during difficult times at VfB. The defender was one of the key figures when Stuttgart were battling relegation in the 2022/23 season. After that, the club made enormous sporting progress and qualified for the Champions League.

Photo: IMAGO

In the BVB coach’s view, that background should also be taken into account when judging his defender. “People also must not forget what Waldi did for this club, what role he had when things weren’t going well,” Kovac emphasized. The Dortmund coach, however, is not worried that the atmosphere in the stadium could affect Anton’s performance.

Even in the last away match there, his defender showed that he could handle the reactions. “Waldi is old enough and has already proven that it doesn’t bother him at all,” said Kovac. And Anton did indeed keep his composure then: in BVB’s 2–0 away win in Stuttgart, the former VfB captain delivered a composed performance despite the hostile reception.

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