The tears of Kevin-Prince Boateng
Stand: 20.05.2023
Hertha BSC was relegated to the second division for the seventh time after the draw against Bochum. The Bundesliga chapter also ends for Kevin-Prince Boateng. On the other hand, Pal Dardai will remain. Possibly also as a coach.
Es were the typical phrases. Words that are often and often chosen in these special situations. “We didn’t get relegated today,” said Kevin-Prince Boateng in view of the relegation. In his last home game, the 36-year-old captained Hertha BSC for the first time in a Bundesliga game and ultimately ended up in relegation. The 1:1 (0:0) against VfL Bochum on the last day of the game in Wolfsburg leaves the Berliners with five points behind the saving bank with no more chances.
“It’s very, very sad. We had this minimal chance, but I can’t blame the team. We gave it our all and played well too. But the relegation didn’t happen today,” Boateng continued in a surprisingly matter-of-fact manner in view of the dramatic final phase with the equalizer (90+4) that was conceded very late.
But then it broke out of him. The voice trembled, he wiped tears from his eyes. “I can’t realize it yet. It’s just sad, I love the club. I came here knowing that not everything would be rosy,” said the midfielder, who needs “a little time” and wants to “think” about his personal future.
But it was clear to him that after a few years of chaos, the club had to be “completely cleaned from the bottom up”. Above all, the fans deserved a quick return to the Bundesliga, said Boateng. During the season, the team sometimes played “under all sows”, “but they always had our backs”. Just like against Bochum. The fans are “angry, disappointed and sad – that’s completely normal,” said Boateng: “I can understand them, I’m a Hertha fan myself.”
Dardai leaves the future as a coach open
Pal Dardai definitely wants to be part of the company’s recovery. “I work at Hertha BSC – in which position, we have to wait and see.” You have to “do an analysis” and “talk things over,” said the coach, who kept a low profile about the position: “I can’t do it today say.”
Internally, Dardai, who took over as coach for the third time at the capital club in mid-April but was unable to prevent relegation, is the preferred candidate for rebuilding in league two. Emotionally, the 47-year-old went ahead: “You have to tick off what happened, you always have to look ahead.”
Relegation, but no departure: Pal Dardai is retained by Hertha BSC
Which: REUTERS
The 1-1 draw against Bochum was quickly analyzed: “We had five or six huge chances to counter. You just have to score the goals. We didn’t do that, and that’s usually the case. Then things like this happen. We needed that little bit of luck. But we didn’t deserve that either. If you look at the last few years here: That was sloppy.”
