Football experts slam Antonio Rudiger for 'mocking' Takuma Asano
SHAH ALAM - Football experts slam German football player Antonio Rudiger for disrespecting Japanase player Takuma Asano by teasing the latter during the Germany-Japan World Cup match on Wednesday.
Sports editor Haresh Deol said Rudiger’s way of “mocking” Asano by prancing (altering his running style to exaggerate his movements) while racing him to the ball, showed zero professionalism attitude as a football player.
The Germany hardcore fan also expressed his disappointment over Germany’s players' act covering their mouths for their team photo before the game to protest discrimination in Qatar.
He added that the Germans were being disrespectful.
"I have always been a fan of Germany, however the team was very disrespectful with their whole protest covering their mouth and the way they brought politics into the game.
"I also didn't like the defender Rudiger who mocked one of the Japanese player.
"That is not how a professional player should be, his behaviour showed zero professionalism," he said during Sinar Daily's Footy Forum programme.
He said the Germany national team was missing a leader.
"Thomas Muller, the eldest player should be playing that role (leader), but he isn't.
"Having grown up with the likes of Oliver Kahn, you had one strong individual.
"It makes me think what happened to this whole Das reboot on how German football reinvented itself and conquered the World Cup in 2014," he said.
National Coaches Association vice-president Datuk Richard Scully agreed with Haresh that the act of “provoking” in a football match showed the arrogance of a star player.
"You can have the best record (in football), but if you have the wrong profile player playing with a wrong attitude, it will backfire you.
"If you want to provoke him in that manner, you go out and say 'hey look I can do this (mocking) and at the same time I can score" but you provoke and the next minute he wacks you, what's the point," he said.
Meanwhile, Haresh said in tonight's Spain-Germany match, Spain will most ikely give Germany an “ego-bruising encounter”.
The FIFA World Cup match between Spain and Germany will kick off on Nov 27 at 3am (Malaysia time).
