Hans-Joachim Watzke, CEO of the German club Borussia Dortmund, called on the team's midfielder Felix Nmecha to reconsider his controversial goal celebration, after the criticism he raised among the club's fans.
Watzke said, while participating in an audio blog, that he had a video call with Nmecha while the player was with the German national team, to discuss the celebration he performs by kneeling and taking off an imaginary crown from his head and placing it on the field.
He added: “If you realize that this is dividing the fans, perhaps you will have the insight to simply stop doing it,” noting that the player promised to think about the matter.
Watzke stressed that the Dortmund administration does not seek to ban religious expressions or punish players because of their beliefs, saying: “No one here wants to ban anything, and no one wants to punish. We rely more on understanding.”
Nmesha had explained that his celebration had a religious significance, as it symbolized placing his crown before Christ, whom he described as the source of his hope and strength.
The celebration sparked criticism because the reference was linked to the “Players for God” network, which was founded in 2015 and includes Christian football players, and some of its members were criticized for statements that were considered anti-gay, bisexual, and transgender.
Watzke stressed that the core values of Borussia Dortmund do not correspond to the principles adopted by the network.
Nmeesha had previously faced criticism for religious posts on social media that were considered homophobic, but he denied the accusations.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed his confidence that the new edition of the U-17 World Cup, hosted by Qatar with the participation of 48 teams, will achieve exceptional success, stressing that Doha is ready to receive the participating teams and delegations, and that everyone is welcome and will be safe throughout the tournament.
Infantino's statements came during his visit to the Qatari capital, Thursday, to review preparations for hosting the second edition of the tournament among five consecutive editions hosted by Qatar.
Infantino said, according to the German News Agency: “I am very happy to be here in Doha and to personally verify the progress of work,” adding: “The Under-17 World Cup will be an exceptional success here in Doha and in Qatar.” We already have eight or nine teams that have arrived, and the rest of the teams will arrive in the coming days.”
The FIFA President stressed that the tournament will constitute a football celebration that brings together the most prominent young talents from around the world, saying: “It will be a celebration of football, and the best young players in the world will come to participate, and they know that FIFA and Qatar organizing any event means that it will be exceptional.”
Infantino recalled the experience of the last edition in 2025, which witnessed the participation of 48 teams for the first time, noting that organizing all matches in one location, across eight stadiums, constituted a new experience for the International Federation.
He explained that FIFA did not know in advance how things would go in light of holding a number of matches simultaneously, but the experiment achieved great success and received praise from the participating teams and technical staff.
He added: “We did not know how things would go, but it was like a festival, and the reactions from all the teams, coaches and everyone were very wonderful.”
He pointed out that the final match of the last edition, which brought together Portugal and Austria at Khalifa Stadium, reflected the distinguished technical level of the tournament, which also witnessed the participation of prominent teams, including France, Brazil and Italy.
Infantino stressed that the International Federation benefited from the experience of last year to make improvements in the organizational aspects, with the aim of presenting a more advanced version, while preparing to receive larger numbers of fans and visitors.
He stressed that Qatar welcomes all participants, saying: “Everyone is welcome in Doha, everyone is safe in Doha, and it will be a wonderful tournament, festival and joyful event for all these boys who participate in this tournament under 17 years old.”
In response to a question about the possibility of facing strong competition during the upcoming FIFA presidential elections, Infantino preferred not to comment on the issue, saying only: “We are here to talk about the Junior World Cup.”
The President of the International Federation concluded his statements by renewing his confidence in Qatar's ability to organize a successful edition, stressing that the tournament represents an opportunity to celebrate football and highlight emerging talents from various continents.
The tournament will be held with the participation of 48 teams divided into 12 groups, each of which includes four teams, with the first and second placed teams from each group, along with the eight best third placed teams, qualifying for the round of 32, which represents the beginning of the elimination rounds.
Although German Alexander Zverev won the largest number of major tournament titles this year and topped the world rankings for professional tennis players, Spain's Carlos Alcarras appears to be the most prominent candidate to win the final tournament title of the current season.
This is due to the remarkable level that Alkaras has shown in the recent period, after he was away from the field for four and a half months in the middle of the year, due to an injury to his right wrist, before he returned strongly to competitions.
While Zverev arrives at the tournament after losing in his last two matches, Alcarras competes in the Italian city of Turin driven by a series of ten consecutive victories, during which he won the Vienna and Paris titles, which strengthens his ambition to win the Finals title for the first time, after he lost the final of the last edition to the Italian Jannik Sinner.
Alkaras said after his victory over American Ben Shelton in the final of the Paris Masters last weekend: “It is a tournament that I really want to win one day.”
He added: “I will participate this year with great confidence, and I have a good collection of experiences that I have gained to work on the aspects that I wanted to improve, so that I can be at my best during this tournament. “I will do my best to achieve the title.”
The tournament, which brings together the best eight men's singles players, will begin next Sunday in Turin, amid the absence of the most prominent star of the past two editions, Italian Jannik Sinner, who ended his season early due to an injury to his right knee.
Not long ago, Alcarras did not feel comfortable playing indoors. Two years ago, during his participation in the same tournament, which he exited in the group stage, he admitted that he lacked experience on this ground.
He said at the time: “I have no experience playing indoors.” “I am confident that I will become a very good player on this surface, but it takes time and gaining experience, as many players currently outperform me on closed courts.”
However, the situation has clearly changed, as the Spanish player only lost one set during his last ten indoor victories.
American Jim Courier, former world number one and analyst on the Tennis Channel, believes that Alcarras’ development is not limited to the technical aspect, but also includes his ability to make decisions on the court.
“Mentally exhausted athletes often lack patience,” Currier said in emailed statements to the Associated Press.
He added: “In general, Carlos is making better decisions when it comes to his shot selection than he was a few years ago. His mental recovery, thanks to the period he spent away from competition this year due to injury, is also an influential factor.”
On the other hand, Zverev enters the tournament amid increasing pressure, after his top spot in the world rankings raised questions and criticism, despite his success in winning his first two Grand Slam titles during the current season.
The German player appeared mentally exhausted during his last two losses to Australian Alex De Minaur and Italian Lorenzo Musetti in the Vienna and Paris tournaments, respectively.
After his loss to Musetti in his opening match in Paris, Zverev expressed his dissatisfaction with the criticism directed at him, saying: “I feel that I am the only player in the history of tennis who has to justify why he deserves to top the world rankings. “I find this very difficult, because I believe I deserve the position I have reached.”
Despite his achievements this season, Zverev continued to face questions about the extent to which he deserved to be ranked first in the world, especially in light of the absence of Alkaras and Sinner from some tournaments due to injuries.
The German described these criticisms as “annoying, frankly,” while winning his third title in the final tournament, especially if it is achieved at the expense of Alcarras, may give him an opportunity to respond to the doubters.
Among the players entering the tournament with strong levels, American Ben Shelton stands out, who reached his first final in the four major tournaments during the US Open “Flushing Meadows”.
Shelton had defeated Alcarras in an exciting confrontation in the quarter-finals in New York, which he decided in the fifth set via a tiebreaker, in a match that lasted until three and thirty-three minutes in the morning local time, and was described as one of the most prominent matches of the year.
“It's all about the small details,” Shelton said, after losing to Alcarras in two close sets in the Paris final. “The small details were the difference in our encounter at the US Open, as well as in Paris.”
He added: “With the match being held on a very fast pitch like this, the differences will be very small.”
One of the most prominent changes that Shelton made recently is the addition of Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero, the former coach of Alcarras, to his technical staff, in a move that he hopes will help him achieve better results.
The American player said: “I have a great thirst, and I feel very excited before heading to Turin.”
The draw for the group stage resulted in Zverev, the first seed, being placed in John McEnroe's group, along with Shelton, Frenchman Arthur Fels, and Spaniard Rafael Godard.
On the other hand, Alkaras, seeded second, came in Ivan Lendl's group, alongside Russian Daniil Medvedev, Italian Flavio Copoli, and American Frances Tiafoe.
