Wolfsburg respond to controversial Denis Vavro incident: “He knows he messed up big time.” | OneFootball

VfL Wolfsburg defender Denis Vavro finds himself in hot water following a controversial incident over the Christmas break. Videos have surfaced showing Vavro striking a young footballer whilst participating in an indoor football tournament in his native Slovakia. The video shows Vavro ripping off his jersey in frustration, striking another player with the back of his hand, and receiving a red card for the offense. 

Newly appointed Wolfsburg head coach Daniel Bauer and new VfL sporting director Pirmin Schwegler both issued comment on the incident on Tuesday. Kicker Magazine Wolfsburg correspondent Thomas Hiete spoke to both Wolfsburg professionals after a friendly contested at the club’s mini-camp in Lisbon, Portugal. Vavro played the second half of the test fixture; a 1-1 draw against Portuguese first division side Estrela Amadora.

Bauer and Schwegler respond to the Vavro incident

“We spoke with Denis and he knows he messed up big time,” Schwegler told Hiete. “He apologized to the boy and his mother on the day [of the incident]. This is not good. Quite the contrary. We cannot sanction this and will discuss the consequences internally.“

“I’m anything but thrilled,” Bauer added. “This is absolutely not acceptable. Denis has [rightfully] apologized to the boy. We’ve taken note of it and dealt with it internally.“

Does Vavro have a future at Wolfsburg?

Bauer was quick to emphasize that, apart from one defensive mistake, Vavro performed well in the warm-up match. Vavro recently returned from major surgery this past August that kept him sidelined for most of the season. The 30-times-capped Slovakian international returned to make his season debut against Bayer Leverkusen on matchday 11 on November 22nd. The 29-year-old, inserted directly into the starting XI, scored a pullback goal in the 1-3 home defeat. 

Vavro’s debut coincided with Bauer’s first match working the bench as Wolfsburg’s interim trainer. After going the full 90 minutes in his return match, Bauer only used Vavro as a late-match time killing sub in the subsequent three fixtures. Bauer then opted not to select Vavro for his matchday squad in the final Bundesliga match before the Christmas break. Vavro’s scant usage may have fueled his frustration as he returned home for the holidays. 

Wolfsburg seemed to have little interest in parting company with Vavro. In point of fact, Germany’s green company team only jut completed Vavro’s permanent purchase from FC Copenhagen last summer. Vavro played an excellent 2024/25 Bundesliga campaign. The centre-back even scored two league goals and registered another tally in the cup. Wolfsburg were pleased to capture Vavro (a €7m-valued player) for just €2m.

Entering the January transfer window, Vavro was not on Wolfsburg’s “Dead-Weight-Ledger”. There have nevertheless been plenty of stirrings in the German rumor mills regarding Vavro’s departure. Bauer seems content with the centre-back pairing of Sunderland loanee Jenson Seelt and Greek defender Konstantinos Koulierakis. Vavro is reported to want to move elsewhere.

Bauer’s words hint at Vavro exit

“Denis played a very good second half,” Bauer told Hiete. “Before his mistake, he played the way I want him to for 44 minutes. Denis is fit and healthy. The team is growing closer together every day, and Denis is a big part of that. He performed very well after the break, but There may still be changes.”

GGFN | Peter Weis