Nmecha to drop part of crown celebration after Klopp and Watzke talks

The crown gesture and the fan criticism

Felix Nmecha scored both goals in Borussia Dortmund's 2-1 win over SV Elversberg on the weekend of 7-8 November and then repeated a gesture in which he places an imaginary crown on his head. The gesture is associated with the evangelical network 'Ballers in God', which is criticised over homophobic and queer-hostile statements by some of its members, Nmecha among them. The BVB fan and support department objected to the celebration and asked for a clear distancing from evangelical networks. Nmecha wrote on Instagram that the celebration had caused misunderstandings, but his post did not contain the distancing the fans had requested. He has said the gesture expresses his bond with Jesus and God and that he does not want to support any organisation.

Earlier controversies

Nmecha had already drawn criticism for faith-related gestures. At the World Cup he and Jonathan Tah were criticised after praying in the centre circle following the group match against Curaçao. In September 2025 he sent condolences to the family of the conservative American activist Charlie Kirk, which also drew criticism. In about 2023 he liked a social media post describing Pride as the work of Satan, and he shared a post by the publicist Matt Walsh that mocked a father supporting his transgender child. Renewed attention on these episodes came during the debate over his celebration.

Watzke's video call and the club's stance

BVB president Hans-Joachim Watzke held a video call of roughly one hour with Nmecha, who was with the national team while Watzke was at home. Watzke told the player that if he sees the gesture divides the fans, he might gain the insight to stop it, and Nmecha agreed to think it over. Watzke said the BVB values code and the basic position of Ballers in God are not compatible, and that the club does not want that inside its own walls. He stressed that nobody at the club wants to forbid anything or impose punishment, and that he is a practising Catholic himself.

“Nobody wants to forbid anything with us, nobody wants to punish. We rather rely on insight.”

Klopp, the DFB and the Liverpool posts

On Monday, 9 November, Nmecha met Jürgen Klopp and DFB sporting director Rudi Völler at the team base in Herzogenaurach. Afterwards he distanced himself again from the homophobic statements while reaffirming his religious conviction. Media reports said the BVB had banned the celebration, but the DFB said it knew of no such ban. The DFB said Ballers in God had used statements Klopp made during his Liverpool years on its social media channels without his consent or knowledge, and that an Instagram post paired a picture of him with a statement about his Christian faith, creating the impression he backed the group. Those posts are no longer online.

Klopp described Nmecha in Belgrade on Thursday evening, 12 November, as follows:

“He is an exceptionally friendly, warm and open young man. He radiates good vibes when he is with us.”

Friday's match and what comes next

Germany play Serbia in Belgrade on Friday, 13 November, with kick-off at 20:45 on RTL, in the penultimate Nations League group game. Germany are third in the group behind the Netherlands and Greece, while Serbia sit at the bottom, which makes a win especially important. Klopp's pre-match press conference, scheduled for 19:00 on 12 November, was expected to address the Nmecha case. For the national team the matter appears settled for now, since Klopp said Nmecha will no longer celebrate in that way. Watzke said he hopes the club and the player will find a reasonable solution.