St. Pauli refuse to back down in statement on controversial Luka Vuskovic incident | OneFootball

Last night’s Bundesliga Hamburg “Stadtderby” between Hamburger SV and FC. St. Pauli delivered little worth noting on the pitch. After the full-time whistle, however, there were plenty of fireworks. HSV defender Luka Vuskovic was unable to calm himself down following verbal attacks directed at him by the St. Pauli fans. This led to a locker room scuffle in the catacombs of St. Pauli’s Millerntor stadium. 

Hamburg head coach Merlin Polzin commented on the incident during his post-match press conference last night. On Saturday, St. Pauli released a statement on the matter. It actually proves the case that neither side wishes to back down. One of the most heated derbies in German football now has more fuel to add to the bonfire based on St. Pauli’s handling of the controversy.

Why was Luka Vuskovic so mad and what happened?

St. Pauli fans got under Vuskovic’s skin by chanting verbal insults about his elder brother Mario, who is currently suspended from football whilst he serves a doping ban. Hamburg emphasized their commitment to both brothers by assigning Luka Mario’s tricot number upon signing Luka on loan from Tottenham this summer. Luka directly referenced the abuse he endured when conducing his post-match interview with Sky Germany last night.

“I don’t know what the St. Pauli fans are thinking,” Luka told Sky last night. “It’s disrespectful to attack my family and my brother. I have nothing good to say about these fans.”

Luka’s ire nevertheless didn’t dissipate after he vented his frustration on the Sky microphones. The HSV professional taunted the St. Pauli supporters by placing his figure on his lips in a gesture demanding that they shut up. Hamburg teammates struggled to calm him down. On his way down the tunnel, multiple witnesses confirmed that Luka spat and sputtered about prior to engaging in a physical altercation with St. Pauli defender Karol Mets. 

Hamburg head coach addresses Vuskovic’s behavior

“This is a very important topic,” HSV head coach Merlin Polzin noted at the post-match press conference. “We are talking about an 18-year-old who is carrying a heavy burden on his shoulders after what happened to Mario. Normally, FC St. Pauli and its fans are also committed to treating such issues sensitively and showing understanding for one another I can understand Lukas’s displeasure extremely well.

“When you are confronted with these comments, words, demands, and gestures, it has nothing to do with what both clubs and the city of Hamburg – a cosmopolitan city – should stand for,” Polzin continued. “We’ll need to put this moment behind us as quickly as possible, also taking corrective action to ensure it doesn’t happen again.“

St. Pauli issue Statement

“A derby is associated with strong emotions,” St. Pauli’s Saturday-released statement begins. “This includes banter and, unfortunately, occasional insults on both sides. These are not welcome in themselves and both sides should distance themselves from them. Such incidents are tolerated by some in the knowledge of the heated environment, but they are not a benchmark for respectful behavior.

“As a club, we remain clearly committed to respectful interaction,” the statement continues. “This includes neither derogatory chants from our stands nor sexist banners such as those seen in the HSV block, nor any other offensive content. We expect players, coaches, and club representatives to behave appropriately and professionally

“This includes not being easily provoked, not to harass fans, and not to cross boundaries such as spitting at fans or on the floor and walls in the locker room area,” the statement goes on. “Emotions explain a lot, but they don’t justify everything. Against this background, we find it irritating that a narrative is being painted according to which only one side was provocative or caused the incident, while other incidents are being ignored.”

“Overall, however, what is much more important and remarkable is the fact that the derby largely proceeded calmly and without incident,” the statement concludes. “That should be the yardstick for evaluation. For FC St. Pauli, the games against HSV are now over, and we are looking ahead.”

GGFN | Peter Weis