Union Berlin suspend David Datro Fofana for one week after ‘refusing handshake’ — report

Despite a groveling public apology that already seemed somewhat unnecessary at the time, David Datro Fofana has now been (reportedly) suspended for a week by Union Berlin.

It’s not quite clear what exactly “suspended” means — is he just dropped for a week and docked his wages, or is it something even more severe, like not even training with the team? You would think it would have to be the former, but given this level of overreaction from the bruised ego at the head coaching position, I’m not yet ready to rule out the latter.

To recap, Fofana let the frustrations of a ninth (9th!) straight defeat for Union Berlin and a tenth (10th!) straight appearance for him personally without a goal get the better of him on Wednesday, when he was substituted off in the 70th minute and brushed past head coach Urs Fischer in a huff and had to be calmed down on in the dugout by his teammates. Fofana had been Union’s best player on the night and their most likely source of an equalizing goal, so his disappointment was understandable.

Still, it was certainly not a good look, and it has now definitely turned into a learning opportunity for the 20-year-old. That said, the suspension feels fairly draconian.

Oh well, here’s to Fofana turning things around from here on out, be that at Union or somewhere else starting in January.