Ivorian football star Salomon Kalou has been suspended ‘with immediate effect’ by his German Bundesliga club Hertha Berlin after filming himself singing a ‘corona song’ and breaking social distancing rules amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Kalou was seen in a Facebook video greeting Hertha players and club employees with handshakes, a move that has been condemned by the German league, which has put in place stringent hygiene measures as it bids to secure the political green light to restart its interrupted season.
“The pictures of Salomon Kalou from the Hertha dressing room are absolutely unacceptable,” the German Football League (DFL) said in a statement.
A Hertha statement read: “Salomon Kalou was tempted by his negative test results to greet the other players in the dressing room, sometimes with a handshake, contrary to the clear announcements made by health authorities.
“With his ‘Corona Song’, Kalou gave the impression that he is not aware of the extent of the ongoing pandemic.
“With this video taken inside the team’s dressing room, Kalou broke clear internal rules and displayed a behaviour, which is neither appropriate for this current situation, nor reflective of the code of conduct of Hertha BSC.
“The club has therefore made the decision to suspend the player in question from training and matches with immediate effect.”
Kalou apologized for his actions and said he should have behaved better.
“I am sorry if my behavior has given the impression that I do not take Corona seriously. I would like to apologize for this,” he said.
“The opposite is true, because I am particularly concerned about the people in Africa, because the medical care there is by far not as good as in Germany.
“I did not really think about it.”