© EuroFootball.com
The conflict between German national team striker Gerald Asamoah and Schalke's head coach Mirko Slomka has caused nearly a state of war in the German club's locker room. This was reported on Tuesday by the German newspaper "Bild".
According to the newspaper, the team's players are divided into two camps: some support M. Slomka's decision to "bench" G. Asamoah, while others do not.
Before Saturday's match against Hertha Berlin, the club released a statement saying that G. Asamoah had promised to cause problems if the coach decided to bench him.
Club goalkeeper Frank Rost, who is one of the five members of the players' council, stated that three players in the council did not support the coach's decision. "He is still one of the best friends in the team for me," the goalkeeper was quoted by "Bild".
After the 2-0 defeat on Saturday, a lot of criticism was directed towards G. Asamoah, and the club's manager Andreas Müller supported the coach's decision, calling G. Asamoah's behavior "completely unacceptable and damaging to team spirit".
Meanwhile, G. Asamoah refused to admit his fault.
"I don't know what I should apologize for," the German said. "If every player criticizing the coach in the locker room was benched, we would receive a punishment every week."
After the defeat on Saturday, Schalke is in sixth place, trailing the leading Hertha club by just one point.
