Germany international Kevin Behrens has been disciplined by his club Wolfsburg after making a homophobic comment while refusing to sign a shirt with a rainbow badge.
Behrens only joined Wolfsburg in January having previously spent three years at Union Berlin. His performances earned him a call-up for the Germany national team at the start of last season.
He earned his first cap last October, coming on as a substitute for Jamal Musiala during a 2–2 draw with the United States. But the 33-year-old has now provoked fury after allegedly making a homophobic comment during an autographing session.
The event was also being attended by staff members and other players. Wolfsburg's marketing team asked Behrens to sign a special-edition Wolfsburg shirt which featured a rainbow logo in celebration of the LGBTQ+ community.
Behrens repeatedly refused the request before he allegedly said: “I won’t sign that gay c**p”. The outburst is understood to have “caused horror” among the employees and Wolfsburg have confirmed that they disciplined the striker internally.
A club statement said: “During an internal meeting, statements were made that were not in line with VfL Wolfsburg’s stance. The incident was immediately dealt with internally. VfL Wolfsburg stresses that it is aware of its social responsibility.
“The club and its employees stand for diversity and tolerance, and fundamental values, such as respect, honesty and openness, have always been firmly anchored in the club’s philosophy.”
But while some outlets have reported Behrens was suspended that is not the case. A Wolfsburg spokesperson told Outsports: “He is still taking part in the training sessions. As a club, we in general do not comment on sanctions players get."
Wolfsburg captain Maximilian Arnold has worn a rainbow captain’s armband in all matches home and away for the last two seasons. He insisted that Behrens actions were unacceptable but that he deserves a second chance.
“Kevin apologized for something that was definitely not good,” Arnold told Kicker. “But everyone makes mistakes. One thing is clear: something like this should not happen again, but everyone deserves a second chance.”
The first top-flight footballer to come out as gay, Josh Cavallo, also made his displeasure at Behrens' actions clear. Cavallo replied to a post from Bundesliga side St Pauli which featured a rainbow armband and was captioned 'We love gay s***'.
Cavallo's reply read: “Best thing I’ve ever seen,” with the Australian adding a smiling face with heart-eyes emoji. Behrens, who has has made three Bundesliga appearances for Wolfsburg this season, did issue an apology.
He said: “My spontaneous comments were absolutely not OK. I would like to apologise for that. The topic was clearly discussed internally and I ask for your understanding that I do not wish to comment further.”
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