BVB, News and Rumours – "Then we wouldn’t be where we are": Niko Kovac hits back following criticism from Ralf Rangnick

BVB manager Niko Kovac has responded to the criticism levelled by Austria’s national team coach Ralf Rangnick regarding Carney Chukwuemeka’s German language skills.

At the press conference ahead of Dortmund’s match against VfB Stuttgart on Saturday evening (6.30 pm), Kovac explained: “We are an international club; we operate in a global world. It’s about coaches speaking different languages, and we really do speak a lot of English here.”

This is also reflected in the current sporting situation. "If we were talking at cross-purposes, we wouldn’t be where we are," explained the Black and Yellows’ manager, who saw no problem whatsoever in communicating with the midfielder solely in English: "That’s completely normal in basketball. It’s becoming increasingly normal in handball too. So in football, it’s also becoming more and more international. So from that perspective, it’s no problem at all for us."

Rangnick had previously criticised the fact that Chukwuemeka, who recently switched from the English to the Austrian football association and is now eligible to play for the Alpine nation, has no knowledge of German whatsoever, despite having been a Borussia Dortmund player for some time.

"That must be in the clubs’ interests. They should ensure that German lessons take place regularly. I don’t want this to be taken as criticism, but I was certainly surprised. In Leipzig or Hoffenheim, it was compulsory – German lessons three times a week. Anyone who missed them was treated as if they’d missed training. But every club handles it differently, of course. It’s not easy for lads like that. English works everywhere; he gets by fine with it in our team too,” said Rangnick.

Chukwuemeka, who grew up in England, played for several age groups of the English youth national teams but did not make an appearance for the Three Lions’ senior side, meaning a move was possible. He has been a regular at BVB since August.

Before flying to Stuttgart for the away match against VfB, BVB centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck stopped to greet the waiting fans at the airport.

The encounter went extremely smoothly and harmoniously, with the 26-year-old patiently signing autographs for the 50 or so waiting fans.

Schlotterbeck had recently caused a stir with his comments following the German national team’s 2-1 victory over Ghana. There, he vehemently denied reports of an agreement in the contract negotiations with the Black and Yellows, thereby fuelling further speculation.

Negotiations between the player and the club have been dragging on for weeks. It is now reported that the centre-back has even received a concrete transfer offer from an unnamed top club.

At the same time, Schlotterbeck is apparently attempting to renegotiate the terms already agreed with former sporting director Sebastian Kehl in his favour. Accordingly, the centre-back is said to want to renegotiate his salary and, in particular, his release clause.